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11.January.2015 at 20:00
Asian Cup
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Attendance : 17712
Referee: Benjamin Williams (Australia)
Opponent Confederation: AFC
Bahrain
0 - 2
Iran
Referee: Benjamin Williams (Australia) Asian Cup / Group 'C'-match

Goalscorers
None Ehsan HAJSAFI (45)
Masoud SHOJAEI (71)
Opening Line-up
Sayed Mohammed Jaafar
Mohammed Hussain
Abdulla Omar
Faouzi Aaish
Waleed Al Hayam
Hussain Ali Baba
Sayed Dhiya
Abdulwahab Ali
Ismaeel Abdulatif
Jaycee Okwunwanne
Sami Al Husaini
Alireza HAGHIGHI
Mehrdad POOLADI
Vourya GHAFOORI
Morteza POURALIGANJI
Jalal HOSSEINI
Ashkan DEJAGAH
Andranik TEYMOURIAN
Javad NEKOUNAM
Masoud SHOJAEI
Ehsan HAJSAFI
Reza GHOOCHANNEJAD
Bench
Abdulwahab Al Malood
Rashed Al Hooti
Sayed Ahmed
Abdulla Shallal
Abdulla Abdo
Mohammed Al Alawi
Abdulla Al Hazaa
Abdulla Yousif Abdulrahim
Mohamed Mahorfi
Faisal Bodahoom
Hamad Al Doseri
Ashraf Al Sebaie
Alireza BEIRANVAND
Ramin REZAEIAN
Sourosh RAFIEI
Khosrow HEYDARI
Vahid AMIRI
Omid EBRAHIMI
Karim ANSARIFARD
AliReza JAHANBAKHSH
Sardar AZMOUN
Substitutions
Abdulwahab Al Malood-> Ismaeel Abdulatif 65'
-> Waleed Al Hayam 65'
-> Sami Al Husaini 80'
Sardar AZMOUN -> Reza GHOOCHANNEJAD (75)
AliReza JAHANBAKHSH -> Masoud SHOJAEI (80)
Sourosh RAFIEI -> Ashkan DEJAGAH (89)
Yellow cards
Abdulla Omar 43' Ehsan HAJSAFI (21)
Red cards
None None.
Match report

Standing L2R: Haghighi, Pooladi, Hosseini, Teymourian, SHojaei, Nekounam. Sitting L2R: Pouraliganji, Haj Safy, Ghafoori , Ghoochannejad , Dejagah.
Pictures from the match
Coaches;
Bahrain : Marjan Eid
Iran: Carlos Queiroz
Iran, seeking to end a 39-year wait for a fourth title, effectively sealed the points in its Group C opener when Masoud Shojaei added a second in the 71st minute to end Bahrain's brave resistance in Melbourne.

Asia's top-ranked side, Iran almost opened the scoring after 20 minutes when the dangerous Ashkan Dejagah forced a smart stop from Sayed Abbas in the Bahrain goal.





But Bahrain had already served notice that the underdogs were not about to simply roll over as its bulldozing Nigerian-born striker Jaycee Okwunwanne blazed just wide during the frenetic early skirmishes.

Sayed Shubbar then squandered a golden opportunity by heading over as Bahrain threatened to capitalise on a sluggish start from Iran.

However, Hajsafi produced a moment of magic with almost the last kick of the first half, expertly trapping a looping clearance with his left foot before instantaneously smashing it past Abbas with the outside of his right boot from just outside the box.

Reza Ghoochannejhad appeared to be incorrectly flagged for offside for a second time when through on goal shortly after the interval, before Okwunwanne almost emulated Hajsafi with a ferocious drive that Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi did brilliantly to keep out.

Tempers flared when Haghighi barged into Faouzi Aaish, Bahrain's waspish playermaker with a menacing-looking mohican who was a thorn in Iran's side the entire game.

But moments later Shojaei popped up to steer a right-foot shot just inside the post from another corner to trigger wild celebrations from a crowd of 17,000.

Iran's Asian Cup drought dates back to 1976, when it won the third of three successive titles.

Earlier, the United Arab Emirates laid down a marker by thrashing Qatar 4-1 to go top of the group on goal difference.
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