U-17 World Cup: Iran blank Costa Rica, win group

Margao: Iran predictably finished on top of Group C of the Under-17 World Cup with another resounding win, this time 3-0 over Costa Rica, whose gruelling and error-prone campaign came to an end at the Nehru Stadium here on Friday.Finishing second in the group and also booking a round of 16 slot were Germany who beat Guinea 3-1 in Kochi, shunting out the African nation and setting up a pre-quarterfinal clash with Colombia in New Delhi on Monday. Iran, needing just a draw to finish on top of the group, took a 2-0 lead by halftime through penalties converted by captain Mohammad Ghobeishavi (25th minute) and Taha Shariati (29th minute) – both awards stemming from fouls on two-goal star of the 4-0 rout of Germany, Younes Delfi. Mohammad Sardari made it 3-0 in the 89th minute to take Iran’s goal tally in three matches to an impressive 10 in the wake of three wins from all three matches. Even more impressive was the lone goal that Iran conceded and it spoke volumes of the defence which came in for praise from coach Abbas Chamanian. “Our defence did not give an opportunity to opponents and this will help us in the future,” he said.The immediate future is bright for Iran. They sought to stay in Goa where they have excelled right from the AFC Cup U-16 Championship last year and have shown resilience in coping with the heat and humidity that read 30 degrees C and 83 per cent on the day.In victory, though, Iran suffered two crucial setbacks — one a second yellow card to captain Mohammad Ghobeishavi, penalized for handball near the sideline, and an injury to defender Emir Zadeh. Ghobeishavi will miss the round of 16 match against opponents yet to be identified and Chamanian said he hopes the sympathy shown by the fourth official after the match would count for a positive review.Costa Rica made the changes but coach Breansse Camacho later rued the penalties that undermined his team’s uphill challenge. “The penalties were decisive,” Camacho said. “But we also did not create chances.”Iran’s early running, keynote of their huge win over Germany, kept goalkeeper Ricardo Montenegro busy but a goal arrived only after Amferny Arias, acting captain in place of the benched Jose Alfaro, brought down Delfi. Ghobeishavi slotted the ball to the left of Montenegro to break the deadlock.Another haphazard challenge on the dangerous Delfi, this time by Karin Arce, led to another spot kick duly converted by the indefatigable Taha Shariati whose long overhead drew a faulty clearance by Fernan Faerron – the culprit again after a last-minute blunder against Germany.Costa Rica’s best chance fell to Julien Cordero who blasted wide from close range, attempting to score after the promising Yecxy Jarquin drew Ali Gholam Zadeh to a rare but spectacular save midway through the second half.The Central Americans finished with a solitary point from a 2-2 draw with Guinea after losing their opener against Germany 1-2.