Iran beat VN 4-0 in under-21 int’l tournament

HA NOI - Viet Nam failed to make it into the final of the International Under-21 Football Tournament after a 4-0 loss to powerhouse Iran in the semi-finals yesterday.

Viet Nam, who won the championship last year, pulled out all the stops in their match against Iran at Hue city’s Tu Do Stadium yesterday, but proved no match for their powerful rivals.

The hosts had a good start when Nguyen Duc Thien, who scored three goals for Viet Nam in group competition, took an early shot at goal minutes into the game, but the shot was blocked by Iranian keeper Mohammad Bagher Sadeghi.

Although playing defensively, the Vietnamese side lost control of the game by the half hour mark as Iranian players dominated the game with better play.

Iranian captain Rasoul Kor out-jumped Vietnamese defenders to convert a corner kick into a goal by heading the ball into the net, beating keeper Nguyen Thanh Nam.

Viet Nam regrouped and launched more attacks, but the lone striker, Nguyen Duc Thien, could not score despite a few good chances.

After half-time, Mohammad Saleh Khalil Azad made the score 2-0, while striker Jaladin Alimohammadi scored another to put Iran firmly on their way to the finals. In the 87th minute, substitute Soroush Rafiei escaped an off-side trap to get past the Vietnamese goalie before tapping the ball home into an empty net.

Despite of endeavours of Duc Thien, Phan Thanh Hung and Nguyen Phuc Hiep, the hosts failed to find their consolation goal during injury time.

Iran will meet Thailand, who beat Singapore 3-1 in other semi-final yesterday, in the finals tomorrow.

Viet Nam will meet Singapore to battle for third-place.