Iran defeated South Korea 1-0 with the lone goal in the dying
minutes of extra time to win the bronze medal in the men's soccer
tournament of the Doha Asian Games on Thursday.
Despite dominating the pitch from the very beginning, South
Korea tried in vain to convert its opportunities to goal in front
of a staunch Iranian defense.
South Korean midfielder Baek Ji Hoon came close to breaking the
deadlock in the 64th minute as his shot was only denied by an
Iranian defender on the goal line.
In the second half of the extra time, Iranian midfielder Adel
Kolahkaj powered the ball into the lower left corner of the net
in114th minute.
"I am so excited with the victory. The players deserve all
praises by Iranian people," said Iranian coach Rene Rodrigues
Simoes.
However, the Brazilian coach said that teams from West Asia had
better results, which doesn't suggest their superiority over teams
from East Asia at the Doha Asia Games, like the semifinal South
Korea and Iraq, during which South Korea had an upper hand but
lost1-0 to Iraq.
On his part, South Korean coach Peter Verbeek was disappointed
over the defeat, saying that "we launched a lot of attacks, created
lots of opportunities ... but the players did not grasp one of
them."?
?
(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2006)