Iran Loses to S. Korea at AFC U-23 Championship
According To Iran News, Korea Republic became the first team to qualify for the AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020 knockout stage after it claimed a 2-1 win over Iran at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand on Sunday.
First half goals from Lee Dong-jun and Cho Gue-sung gave Kim Hak-bum’s side a two-goal half-time buffer, but Reza Shekari’s effort nine minutes after the interval meant the Koreans had to negotiate a difficult period in order to extend its winning start to the competition.
The team’s perfect tally of six points from two matches means it is sure to advance to the knockout stage no matter what happens in Wednesday’s match against Uzbekistan, while Iran’s hopes of ending a 44-year Olympic qualification drought now weighs heavily on its final group stage fixture against China.
Iran had started the campaign with a 1-1 draw against defending champion Uzbekistan on Thursday.
Thailand 2020 also serves as qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the top three teams, aside from host nation Japan, will represent Asia.
