A gritty India kept defending champions Iran at bay for an hour before eventually losing 0-3 in their second group match of the CAFA Nations Cup football tournament here on Monday.
India fought hard for most part of the Group B match but let in two goals in the last seven minutes against their formidable rivals at the Hisor Central Stadium.
The Indian defence largely remained compact and thwarted waves of Iranian attack but failed to stop strikes from Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (60th minute), Ali Alipourghara (89th) and Mehdi Taremi (90+6) to lose the match.
Iran are ranked 20th in the world while India are currently at 133rd in FIFA ranking.
Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei had come with a team that has a mix of veteran internationals and few emerging talents from the Iranian Premier League.
India had beaten higher-ranked Tajikistan 2-1 in their opening match on August 29. They play against Afghanistan on September 4 in their final group match.
The top teams from each group will play each other in the final, while the two second-placed teams will face off in the third-place match, scheduled to be played on September 8.
Iran pegged the Blue Tigers back from the start, drawing some early saves from India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
The Indian defence stabilised their operations at the back after the opening exchanges, managing to keep Iran from producing any clear-cut chances. Efforts from Mohammad Amin Hazbavi and Omid Noorafkan, a little after the quarter-hour mark, went wide, while Gurpreet managed to block a dangerous cut-back from Mahdi Hashemnezhad.
India had their first foray in the Iranian goal in the 24th minute, when Suresh Singh Wangjam’s cross was trapped inside the Iran box by Irfan Yadwad, who laid it off for Nikhil Prabhu. The midfielder’s shot, however, was blocked.
India began to gain more confidence as the clock ticked past the half-hour mark, and they managed to produce a passage of play in the Iran third. The Blue Tigers managed to produce a couple of switch plays to the right wing to Vikram Partap Singh, who could run at Mohammad Naderi, but Iran negotiated the danger on both occasions.
Minutes later, Gurpreet was again called into action as he got down low to save a snapshot from Noorafkan. India defended in a coordinated manner in the first half, managing to frustrate Iran and not let them create any clear-cut openings.
The second half began much in the same fashion, with India allowing Iran to keep possession of the ball, while staving them off near the defensive third.
It took Iran an hour to open the scoring, though there was a hint of luck involved in it. Hossein Kanaani sent a cross at the far post towards Hosseinzadeh, whose header was blocked by India defender Rahul Bheke. The ball, however, dropped back kindly at the feet of Hosseinzadeh, who finished it from close range.
India head coach Khalid Jamil, looking for avenues to get back in the game, brought on Manvir Singh (Jr), Mahesh Naorem, and Jithin MS. The attacking changes gave the Blue Tigers some impetus going forward, and Manvir’s cross found Bheke at the near post in the 72nd minute, but the defender’s header went wide.
Iran had their own aces up the sleeves in the form of Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mehdi Taremi, whose introduction caused problems for India, who were now keen to equalise.
Jithin raised a few eyebrows with his mazy runs for India, but no real threat was posed to the Iran goal. He had the opportunity to create a good chance in the 86th minute when he broke on the counter with speed, but his through ball to Mahesh had too much weight on it, as Iran goalkeeper Payam Niazmand collected it calmly.
The experience of Jahanbakhsh and Taremi shone through in the dying minutes. The former produced a shot that was saved, while the latter pounced on the rebound, only to hit the upright, before Alipour sneaked the ball in at the far post, doubling the lead for Iran.
Substitute Jeakson Singh tried his luck with a stray shot deep into injury time, but the ball just did not dip soon enough, sailing inches over the Iran woodwork.
In the final minute of the added time, Iran broke on the counter with speed, and a through ball from Jahanbakhsh found Taremi, who made it 3-0 for his side.
Published – September 02, 2025 02:25 am IST
