Iran defeated South Korea 1-0 with the lone goal in the dying minutes of
extra time to win the bronzemedal in the men's soccer tournament of the Doha
Asian Games in Doha yesterday.
Despite dominating the pitch from the very beginning, South Korea tried in
vain to convert its opportunities to goal in front of a staunch Iranian defense.
South Korean midfielder Baek Ji Hoon came close to breaking thedeadlock in
the 64th minute as his shot was only denied by an Iranian defender on the goal
line.
In the second half of the extra time, Iranian midfielder Adel Kolahkaj
powered the ball into the lower left corner of the net in114th minute.
"I am so excited with the victory. The players deserve all praises by Iranian
people," said Iranian coach Rene Rodrigues Simoes.
However, the Brazilian coach said that teams from West Asia hadbetter
results, which doesn't suggest their superiority over teamsfrom East Asia at the
Doha Asia Games, like the semifinal South Korea and Iraq, during which South
Korea had an upperhand but lost1-0 to Iraq.
On his part, South Korean coach Peter Verbeek was disappointed over the
defeat, saying that "we launched a lot of attacks, created lots of opportunities
... but the players did not grasp one of them."
