It's Four-midable For Iran

Megasoccer - Iran were declared Asian Games champions for the fourth time in their history after defeating Japan 2-1 in the final. They have now set their sights on their opponents' continental crown as they vie for the title of being the best team in Asia.

But for a few tense moments at the end Branko Ivankovic's defending champions were largely untroubled by Masakuni Yamamoto's Japanese side. Despite controlling the game for most of the first-half, Iran had to wait until the second-half before they took the lead. Goals from Javad Kazemeyan and Mohsen Bayatiniya sent the Iranian fans into rapture, before a late strike from Satoshi Nakayama ensured a tense finale.

Iran dedicated the title to their grieving captain, Ali Daei, who had flown back midway through the tournament after the death of his father: "It gives us all a big pleasure to dedicate this win to Ali because he is a legend not only in Iran but throughout Asia. He is the most popular player in the history of the Asian game," said Ivankovic afterwards.

The win will be a boost for Iranian soccer, which had been in the doldrums of late. "Iran loves football and the people are very sensitive to results. But the team's failure to reach the last World Cup was felt as a huge disappointment throughout the country. Our win will create more enthusiasm for the team and interest will rise," said Iran's Croat coach.

The Iranians missed out on a place at World Cup 2002 after they were eliminated by the Republic of Ireland in the final play-off match. It must have been painful for their fans to miss out on a tournament that was being held on their doorstep. In their absence Japan and South Korea flourished.

Furthermore, whilst Iran have had their fair share of success at the Asian Games, they have been left wilting when it comes to the more prestigious Asian Nations Cup. In spite of being regarded as one of the leading teams in the continent they have had to take a back seat to Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Iran's win came against the odds after losing their senior players during the tournament. Ali Daei had flown home and both Alireza Vahedinikbakht and Eman Mobali were missing through suspension. "We were handicapped by not having important players so to win the tournament with such an inexperienced line-up is a great achievement," declared Ivankovic.

Meanwhile, Japan's manager, Masakuni Yamamoto, was not too downhearten after the game: "I didn't expect us to get through six tough matches here but I think that we can take great comfort from the fact that we have established the next generation of players."