Iran storm into 2025 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup semis

Iran storm into 2025 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup semis

TEHRAN - Iran stormed into the semi-finals of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 with an 11-0 win over Bahrain in their quarter-final clash on Thursday.

The defending champions will now face Saudi Arabia in Saturday’s semi-final with the winners to also book their ticket to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025.

Iran started on an aggressive footing, with captain Mohammadali Mokhtari taking a shot in the third minute but saw his effort strike the post, the-afc.com reported.

A minute later, Movahed Mohammadour’s acrobatic effort found the perfectly positioned Mohammad Masoumizadeh, who expertly heeled the ball into the net.

Iran extended their lead shortly before the end of the first period when Ali Mirshekari’s bicycle kick beat Bahrain goalkeeper Ahmed Abdulrasool to find the back of the net, followed by a second goal from Mokhtari seconds later.

Mokhtari had a chance to complete his hat-trick halfway through the second period, but the Bahrain custodian reacted swiftly to parry it away.

The Ali Nadei-led side continued to flaunt their goalscoring prowess throughout the second period with Masoumi netting his second goal of the evening in the 19th minute, while Seyed Ali Nazem followed suit two minutes later.

A sixth goal for the Central Asians came in the final seconds of the second period when Mirshekari converted a penalty by sending the ball into the bottom right corner of the Bahrain net.

There was no stopping Iran, as just two minutes into the final period, Abbas Rezaei and Saeed Piramoun added their names to the scoresheet within seconds of each other, with Nazem and Mirshekari further extending the advantage in the 27th and 28th minutes.

Iran capped off their dominant victory with a goal from Mohammadali Nazarzadeh in the final minute of the match.

source: tehrantimes.com