On the evening of January 27, the World Preliminary Round of 12 Group A, Iran vs Iraq. Taremi scored the only goal and Iran won 1-0! Iran, with 19 points in 7 games, locked up the top 2 of the group in 3 rounds in advance and qualified for the 2022 World Cup! Iran became the first team in the round of 12 and will embark on the World Cup journey for the sixth time.
In FIFA's latest rankings, Iran ranks 21st and Asia 1st; Iraq ranks 75th and Asia 9th. Group A of the Round of 12 showed a situation of "2 strong and 4 weak", South Korea played 7 games with 17 points and one foot into the World Cup; Iran scored 16 points in 6 games, a step away from the World Cup; Iraq only had 4 points in the first 6 games, but there was still hope of competing for the 3rd place.
Female fans on the scene
Iran's number one star Azmoun was infected with the virus and missed the game. Iran lined up the 451 formation Taromi as a single arrow, Jahanbakhsh and Golizadeh on both wings; for the first time in nearly three years, Iranian women were allowed to enter the stadium to watch football matches.
The left side of Jahanbakhsh's position was the main channel for the Iranian offensive. In the first half, Iran fired 7 of 12 shots on goal, and the attack was like a storm. Iraqi goalkeeper Talib performed bravely, contributing seven saves at half-time to keep the city goal safe.
Yibian fought again, and in the 48th minute, Iran finally broke the deadlock! Taremi single-handedly pushed the shot, 1-0! Iran's goal, thanks to the Iraqi defender's interception mistake, gave Taremi a one-handed chance. Iran played steadily and did not give Iraq a chance to equalize.
With 19 points in 7 games, Iran surpassed South Korea to top the A group! For Iran, this 1-0 match means a lot: they become the team in the 1st spending line of the Round of 12!
Iranian fans celebrated wildly, with the coaching staff and players huddled together to celebrate this unforgettable evening! The 2022 World Cup will be Iran's sixth appearance in the World Cup. Previously, Iran appeared in the World Cup in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2018, but never reached the knockout rounds.
So far, 14 teams have won tickets for the 2022 World Cup:
Host: Qatar;
South America: Brazil, Argentina;
European Zone: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland;
Asia: Iran.