Indonesia Drubs Iran 2-0

Iran’s young football players lost the opening game in the AFC U-16 Championship to Indonesia 2-0 in the Group C matches at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

With the partisan crowd cheering their team, Indonesia went ahead in the fourth minute when Mohammad Supriadi broke free on the left flank and laid off a square pass to Amiruddin Bagus Alfikri who had the easiest of finishes to put Indonesia in front, AFC reported.

A minute later Iran came close to equalizing in the fifth minute when Mahdi Seyedi glanced his header but Indonesia goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi kept a cool head.

Iran found it hard to break down its opponent as Indonesia operated as a tight unit and was collectively adept at defending.

Boosted by the advantage, Indonesians controlled the pace of the match and was comfortable keeping possession as they came close to doubling their advantage in the 24th minute but Amanar Abdillah pulled his shot just wide off the left post.

Iran took its time to settle into the match and in the 25th minute Abolfazl Alizadeh tested Sutaryadi with a left-footed effort which forced the Indonesian custodian into a diving save.

Unfazed by Iran’s movement with the ball, Indonesia surged forward and was handed a golden opportunity in the 36th minute when Supriadi found himself in a one-on-one situation with Iran’s shot-stopper Amirhossein Nikpour who raced off his line to clear the danger.

 Seeking Equalizer

Two minutes before the break, the young Iranians pushed for an equalizer and Hossein Hajizadeh-Khorasani found space in the Indonesian penalty box before unleashing a powerful shot but his effort was parried to safety by Sutaryadi.

Indonesia showed off its attacking flair at the start of the second half as it kept up the pressure and almost scored its second goal in the 51st minute when Bagus broke free down the middle but he missed the sitter.

Iran played with more confidence as the players created more chances but they were still unable to break the deadlock as Indonesia’s backline was rock solid.

In the 79th minute captain David Maulana broke free on the left but his surging run at the edge of the area was cut short by defender Amirhossein Azizi.

Shortly after, Iran was left exposed at the back and was caught by Indonesians on the counter as they made their way into the Iranian box but Bagus could not convert his effort after firing just wide off the right post.

Iran’s best effort in the half came in the 85th minute through a set piece but Hossein Shaverdi’s curling free kick missed its mark by a whisker.

With the referee signaling five minutes of additional time Indonesia pressured Iran at the back and doubled the lead through Amirussin Bagas Arrizqi’s effort in the 90th minute to send the crowd into raptures.