TEHRAN, 25 August — It was a day of disappointments for Saudi Arabia in their World Cup Asian qualifier Group A match against Iran at the Azadi Stadium here yesterday.
A harsh referee’s decision awarding a dubious penalty let Iran in, then the reduction of the team strength to 10 for the majority of the second session allowed Iran to go ahead further, and the eventual 2-0 loss of the key match put the Kingdom in a tight spot in the race for a World Cup place.
Iran and Saudi Arabia, who both reached the 1998 World Cup finals in France, are vying for one of two automatic Asian qualification spots for the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea. Iran’s victory, with both the goals being scored by Hertha Berlin forward Ali Daei, in their first match of the second group phase put them into third position in the group which also features Bahrain, Iraq and Thailand.
Bahrain top the table with four points from two games following their 2-0 victory over Iraq, who are second with three points from two games, in Manama yesterday. For Bahrain Ghazi Al-Khawary (58th) and Talal Yousuf (81st) were the scorers.
But yesterday all eyes were at the Azadi Stadium with the heavyweights in the group, Saudi Arabia and Iran, facing off in what was a crucial encounter for both.
Both started tentatively with the struggle for the midfield superiority the priority. It was Iran, with home advantage, who found their feet first and they began stringing some good moves down both the flanks.
Saudi Arabia, which had its share of thrusts, proved more resolute in defense and were successful in keeping the Iranians at bay. And when the teams switched ends deadlocked at 0-0, a thrilling second session looked on the cards.
Just when the game was peaking into a veritable battle for control, the Australian referee Simon Micallef bunged a spanner in the works with a disputed penalty award for Iran in the 54th minute. Saudi goalkeeper Muhammad Khojaly challenged a hard-running Ali Ridha but did not touch him. But the referee thought otherwise and pointed to the spot and Daei slotted home the kick.
Misfortune struck the Kingdom side again as Abdullah Shahrani was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 57th minute. And seven minutes later, their hopes were dashed by an opportunistic strike by Daei.
Put ahead by a crisp through ball, Daei moved into the far right corner before releasing an angular shot past the diving goalkeeper. The ball cannoned off the far upright and into the net. The Kingdom made a valiant effort to stay in the game, and despite being one-man less, managed to hold off the Iran side, which had gradually taken control as the match wore on, to a 2-0 score.
The victory, witnessed by over 100,000 passionate fans, gave Iran a flying start to their campaign, but it also put Saudi coach Slobodan Santrac under intense pressure after his team’s opening draw with Bahrain last week. Saudi Arabia, who have qualified for the last two World Cups, only have one point from their first two games and are fourth in the five-team group and now face the unenviable task of winning their remaining fixtures. They next face Iraq in Manama on Aug. 31.
