Force four Iran retain Asian Games football gold


BUSAN, South Korea, Oct 13 (AFP) - Defending champions Iran won the Asian Games football gold medal for the fourth time here on Sunday when they capitalised on two defensive blunders to beat Japan 2-1 in the final.

Javad Kazemeyan and Mohsen Bayatiniya were the goalscoring stars but they had to survive a nervous last few moments when Satoshi Nakayama grabbed a late reply.
Javad Kazemeyan took advantage of a mix-up between Hikaru Mita and Takeshi Aoki to rifle home a right-foot shot from the edge of the box three minutes into the second half.

And two minutes from full-time, Mohsen Bayatiniya capitalised on another blunder from Aoki to beat Takaya Kurokawa with a right-foot shot from 25 metres. Moments later, Satoshi Nakayama converted a Tatsuya Tanaka cross from close range to set up a tense finish

The victory meant that Iran defied the critics who claimed that without influential Ali Daei and the suspended Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht they would struggle to retain the gold they won in Bangkok in 1998.

Iran's Croatian coach Branco Ivancovic said that he and the players were dedicating victory to Daei, who flew back to Tehran last week following the death of his father.

"It gives us all a big pleasure to dedicate this win to Ali because he is a legend in Iran and Asia," said Ivancovic.

"He is the most popular player in the history of the Asian game and I am certain his career will carry on."

Ironically, the coach admitted that his match-winner Bayatiniya was only in the team because of Daei's absence.

"It is such a strange thing to think that had Ali had played then Mohsen would not have. He repaid our faith by scoring the winner," added the Croatian who said that the tournament was won against the odds with Daei, Nikbakht and the suspended Eman Mobali also missing.

"We were handicapped by the absences of those players and to win here is proof that the players were prepared to do their job and they were tactically ready."

It was Kazemeyan, with his second goal of the Games, who broke the deadlock just three minutes into the second half when Japan's Hikaru Mita and Takeshi Aoki, who had only just come on as a substitute, got in each other's way.

As Aoki tried to clear, the ball fell into the path of Kazemeyan whose drive flew into the corner past Takaya Kurokawa in goal.

Two minutes later, Moharram Navidkia saw an effort come back off the foot of the post while, after 68 minutes, Kazemeyan had a rasping shot spectacularly saved.

With just three minutes left, Bayatiniya grabbed the second after another defensive mix-up had allowed him a clear shot on goal.

The unfortunate Aoki hit a free-kick across the front of goal and into the body of the retreating Iranian who seized upon his opportunity to bury the chance.

But Nakayama pulled one back in the 89th minute converting Daisuke Matsui's cross to give Iran a few anxious moments.

Japan coach Masakuni Yamamoto said that despite the defeat there were positive signs especially since the team, made up of under-21s, came to Busan on the back of a 7-0 defeat to J-League side Jubilo Iwata in a friendly match.

"When I remember that defeat, I realise that step-by-step we are still learning. Now the players have to go back to their clubs and continue their homework," he said.

"It was unfortunate that we lost but the players will learn that every little mistake can sway a result."

Japan shaded the first half with Iran in debt to goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour who pulled off four fine saves to deny Daisuke Matsui, Nakayama and Yoshito Okubo.

Iran did have two good openings in the first half.

Javad Nekounam had a drive pushed around the corner by Kurokawa before Navidkia danced past three defenders before unleashing a fierce 25-yard effort which Kurokawa saved.
 

West Asia still rules in soccer
Iran kicks to a record fourth Asiad title after beating Japan


SOUTH Korea and Japan may have brought East Asian football to new heights at the World Cup but when it comes to the Asian Games, it is West Asia which reigns supreme.


Defending champion Iran defeated Japan 2-1 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium yesterday - the fourth time in the last six Games that the football crown has gone to a West Asian team.

It gave Iran a record fourth Asiad title, after also striking gold in 1974, 1990 and 1998. Only Uzbekistan in 1994, South Korea in 1986, and Iraq in 1982 have broken the Gulf team's stranglehold on the soccer title.

Following the success of both Japan and South Korea in the World Cup, which reached the second round and the semi-finals respectively, the two teams were expected to meet in yesterday's final.

Yet while Japan overcame Thailand 3-0 in the semi-finals, the host went down 3-5 to Iran on penalty kicks.

The absence of the host in the most sought-after final of the Games - tickets were reportedly sold out even before the Games started - probably explained why only about 10,000 seats of the 54,000-capacity stadium were filled.

The majority of the fans preferred to make a two-hour journey to Ulsan to watch South Korea beat Thailand 3-0 for the bronze.

But the absence of a capacity crowd failed to dampen the spirits of the finalists last night as they treated the fans to an entertaining finale.

Japan was the aggressor in the early going.

Daisuke Matsui forced Iranian goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour into a save in the 11th minute before team-mate Satoshi Nakayama also saw his effort thwarted by Mirzapour five minutes later.

Iran, which played the soak-and-strike game to great success against South Korea, again relied on catching its opponent on the break.

Its best chance of the first half came from a swift counter-attack. A move that started in Iran's half saw Moharram Navidkia breaking free in midfield. He went past three Japanese players before unleashing a shot from the edge of the penalty box.

Only the faintest of touches by a Japanese player sent the shot spinning just wide of the goal.

Japan made one change at half-time, bringing on defender Takeshi Aoki. It took only three minutes for him to make an impact on the game - sadly for the wrong side.

His lack of communication with Hikaru Mita allowed Javad Kazemeyan time and space to score the opening goal in the 48th minute.

Fingers were again pointed at Aoki after Iran got its second in the 88th minute.

The defender's square pass just outside his own penalty box was intercepted by Mohsen Bayatiniya who shot past Japanese goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya.

Although Japan pulled one back immediately after the restart - through Satoshi Nakayama from a cross by Tatsuya Tanaka - it was unable to mark its first appearance in an Asian Games football final with a fairy tale ending.

Said Japan coach Masakuni Yamamoto: 'In a final, small mistakes usually decide who wins and loses.'

Although it was an Under-23 tournament - with the exception of three over-23 players that all teams can field - Japan decided to send its Under-21 team to expose it for future competitions.

Yamamoto said that the team would form the nucleus of the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup campaigns. 'This Asian Games was a good experience for the young players. They will get better.'

For Iran, the win will at least make up for the disappointment of losing to arch-rival Iraq in the semi-finals of the West Asian Football Federation Championship in Syria last month and not reaching this year's World Cup Finals.

Said coach Brancho Ivan Choviech: 'This marks a new era for Iranian football. This is a young team which has already played in a World Cup play-off and now the Asian Games. The future is bright.'