AFC Asian Cup 2023: Iran defeat Syria on penalties to qualify for quarter-finals

Mehdi Taremi scored and got send-off in the same match

Iran survived a scare against Syria to move into the AFC Asian Cup 2023 quarter-finals with a 1-1 (5-3) win in the Round of 16 clash at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha on Wednesday (31 January). It was a game that was totally decided, and dominated, by penalties.

Iran were the first team to get a penalty, which Mehdi Taremi slotted home in the 34th minute. However, the Syria side – boasted by thousands of vocal fans in the stands – got their own penalty in the 62nd minute – which was scored by Omar Khribin. The game dragged all the way to the penalty shoot-out, with Iran playing the entire extra time without Taremi (who was sent off) before barely clinching the shoot-out to go forward.

Iran headed into this match being unbeaten in their last six matches against Syria, and definitely the more experienced of the two sides. They dominated the majority of the possession from the get-go, maintaining over 80% possession after the first 20 minutes of the match.

But they really started to pile up the pressure after 20 minutes, testing Syria goalkeeper Ahmad Madania with a few attempts. At the half-hour mark, Sardar Azmoun was played in a promising position outside the box but smacked his shot wide of the target.

Iran finally forced an error from Syria with a slick passing move after Mehdi Taremi forced a foul from defender Aiham Ousou after breaking through into the box. Taremi himself took the duties for the penalty, smacking it past the Syrian goalkeeper to take the lead.

Iran went into the first-half break with a few shots on target, but not as clinical as they’d have ideally have wanted to be. That is why they began the second half with an all-guns-blazing attitude and nearly got the second soon after the break.

Their smart counter-pressing tactics allowed Iran to win back the ball in the Syria half, as Alireze Jahanbaksh sent Azmoun through in the 52nd minute, but the striker’s shot was sharply parried away for a corner. In the corresponding set-piece, a header from Azmoun was cleared off the line as Syria just about held themselves together.

Iran 🇮🇷 defeat Syria 🇸🇾 5-3 on penalties to qualify for the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup 🏆#afcasiancup #asiancup #iran #football pic.twitter.com/2XpFA8yxP2

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) January 31, 2024

Iran seemed to be on course to score another goal to settle this game, but then Syria produced something against the run of play after the hour-mark. In the 62nd minute, the substitute forward Pablo Sabbag went past the Iraninan backline and was fouled in the box by keeper Alireza Beiranvand. The linesman had called it as offside, but VAR came to Syria’s aid.

The referee noticed that he was not offside and pointed to the spot, with striker Omar Khribin taking a Bruno Fernandes-styled ‘hop skip’ penalty to equalize for Syria. The game spiralled into one with transitions after that, with Syria testing Beiranvand with a few more attempts but Iran dominating the majority of the possession and tring to break their defensive line.

They almost did in the 82nd minute, after Iran winger Ali Gholizadeh got into the box and opened himself up for a left-footed shot that was expertly saved. Syria troubled Iran with their transitions late into the game and forced an error from goal-scorer Taremi, who in a desperate attempt to stop a counter-attack, picked up his second yellow card at the start of added-time to reduce Iran to 10 men.

Syria received a second wind after the sending-off and piled more men forward, looking for a dramatic late goal. However, they were unable to breach the Irani goalkeeper and the game was forced into extra-time.

Neither of the two teams should have any real urgency or power to pick out a win in extra time. There were a few half chances, but Syria seemed satisfied with the prospect of dragging it down to the penalty shootout and fancy their chances in it.

That ended up causing their downfall. Alireza Beiranvand, who had famously saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, came up big when it mattered the most. He caused substitute Fahad Youssef to lose his nerve and slot a penalty right into his arms. The Irani players did not miss, delivering a perfect set of penalties to book a place in the quarter-finals.

The Syria players, who went down in tears after the result, put up an incredible effort and made their thousands of supporters in the stadium and many more watching on TV proud – but their inability to score beyond that first goal proved fatal. Iran will now be facing Japan in the quarter-final of the Asian Cup, and will need to produce a much better performance without star Taremi to make the final four of the competition

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