TEHRAN ( WNAM MONITORING): Iran sealed their spot in the Round of 16 in style after defeating Guatemala 9-4 in their FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 Group F tie at the Bukhara Universal Sports Complex on Thursday.
Iran had to reverse a one-goal deficit against a gritty Guatemala, who forced a 3-3 scoreline going into the break before the Central Asian side delivered a sparkling performance in the second half to make it two wins out of two.
Iran dominated the opening proceedings and should have taken the lead but Guatemala keeper Jose Reyes made a double stop to deny Mahdi Karimi and Salar Aghapour in the third minute.
Guatemala’s defensive approach frustrated the Iranians, which spurred them to bring on Hossein Tayebi who, however, struggled to make an impact early on with Reyes in the thick of the action.
Iran, who defeated Venezuela 7-1 in their opener, continued to waste chances with Sajad Yousef Khah, Tayebi and Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh all failing to find the target following swift counter-attack plays.
Guatemala broke the deadlock against the run of play after Roman Alvarado set up Patrick Ruiz in the sixth minute.
Guatemala reduced the deficit through Edgar Santizo’s close range effort before Abbasi completed his hat-trick in the closing stages to seal the empathic victory.
