Qatar 2 - Iran 2; Bahrain 10 - Indonesia 0

Iran hosted Qatar in Tehran in each team's final qualifier in round three of Asian qualifying. Iran had an early attack come to fruition when a sliding, last-ditch effort resulted in a dangerous cross that was headed home by debutante and former German youth international Ahskan Dejagah for a 1-0 lead. Less than five minutes later, Yousef Ahmad Ali drew a penalty kick for Qatar after getting clipped by the goalkeeper's hands. The resulting penalty was converted, knotting the match at 1-1.

Early in the second period, Iran drew a free kick just outside the box from the left side. Dejagah stepped up to take the kick and calmly bent it around the wall and into the upper ninety at the far post, pushing Iran back into the lead, 2-1. Javad Nekounam almost eliminated Qatar with a strike, but the intersection of the crossbar and the post pushed away a hard rebound. Still down 2-1 late in the match and knowing that the 9-0 scoreline in the Bahrain match would see them eliminated if they could not equalize, Qatar drew a free kick from around forty meters from goal. Fabio Cesar provided excellent service and Kasola Mohammed beat the offside trap perfectly to get off a header within the six-yard box that he knocked home for the equalizer. The match ended at 2-2, and Qatar secured safe passage to the final group phase of Asian qualifying.

Bahrain welcomed Indonesia to a completely empty stadium in Manama knowing that they were in need of a resounding victory to overcome an enormous goal differential deficit of nine to Qatar. They received great news when Indonesia announced they were using a under-23 side. Bahrain got the best possible news when in the second minute Indonesian goalkeeper Samsidar Samsidar was red carded, leaving their opponents down a man for essentially the full ninety minutes. Bahrain took advantage for four goals in the first period.

The second half saw even less resistance from a shattered Indonesia side. Once the score reached 8-0, Bahrain knew they had done enough on their end to qualify. All that was left was for Qatar to lose in Iran. Bahrain eventually pushed the final score to 10-0, but Kasola Mohammed's late goal in Tehran meant that Bahrain's effort today was for naught. Hat tricks were earned by two Bahrainis, Mohamed Tayeb and Sayed Dhiya. Bahrain were awarded four penalty kicks in the match, and they converted two of them. In spite of securing the largest margin of victory in the 2014 FIFA World Cup so far, Bahrain will not be able to qualify for their third straight intercontinental playoff because they are out of the tournament thanks to Qatar's dramatic draw.

Iran 12 pts - IN

Qatar 10 pts - IN

Bahrain OUT
Indonesia OUT

Goals

Iran

Ashkan Dejagah 4, 50

Qatar

Ibrahim Khalfan 9 PK

Kasola Mohammed 86

Bahrain

Ismael Abdullatif 5 PK, 71

Mohamed Tayeb 15, 60, 65

Mahmood Abdulrahman 34 PK, 41

Sayed Dhiya 62, 82, 90+4

Match Reports:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/02/29/2080.ap.soc.iran.qatar.1st.ld.writethru.0364/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/02/29/2080.ap.soc.bahrain.indonesia.1st.ld.writethru.0246/index.html

http://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia/2012/03/01/2939209/fifa-to-investigate-bahrains-10-0-win-over-indonesia

Full Match Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhj_eb424n4 (Qatar v. Iran)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxHZVJPBq5s&feature=related (Bahrain v. Indonesia)

Qatar 0 - Bahrain 0; Iran 4 - Indonesia 1

Iran made the trip to Jakarta looking for a win that would all but assure themselves of a spot in the AFC Fourth Round. Iran made sure that there would be no slip-up today as there was in Bahrain on Friday. Iran blitzed the Indonesia goal and scored three times in the first hour of play, sapping all hope from their opponents. Indonesia did manage one goal just before the halftime whistle, and the hosts went into the locker room down 3-1.

It nearly took another half hour, but Iran were able to extend the lead on a converted penalty kick. Their fourth goal ended the scoring, and Iran win 4-1 on the road. So long as Bahrain do not win in Qatar later today, Iran will advance into the AFC Fourth Round on the back of this result.

Qatar hosted Bahrain in Doha in the final Group E match of 2011. Qatar knew that a win would be enough to qualify them for the next phase of qualifying. They also knew that a loss would leave them level on points with Bahrain and facing a difficult situation where they would be needing points on the road against Iran in the final group match. However, Qatar went onto the pitch with the purpose of playing for a draw and Bahrain went all out in attack. A draw would maintain Qatar's three-point lead on Bahrain going into the final matchday next February, and along with overcoming the three-point deficit, Bahrain would have to overcome a nine-goal deficit to Qatar in the goal-differential compartment in order to advance. Qatar's strategy to play defensively and risk nothing resulted in a safe 0-0 halftime score, though they had to survive a scare in the twenty-third minute when a Bahrain player blew a tap-in goal at the far post.

Qatar continued to play defensively and frustrate Bahrain. A Qatar counterattack sprang a one-on-one situation with Sayed Jaffer, who made a great save to deny Qatar the victory. However, Qatar achieved their mission on the day with the 0-0 home draw. Barring a pair of blowouts through which Bahrain can overcome their goal differential issue (Iran 5, Qatar 0 and Bahrain 5, Indonesia 0 for instance), Qatar have assured themselves of a spot in the final round of Asian qualifying. This scoreless draw guarantees Iran its spot in the final round.

Iran 11 pts - IN

Qatar 9 pts +5

Bahrain 6 pts -4

Indonesia OUT

Goals

Iran

Milad Midavoodi 7

Mojtaba Jabari 19

Gholam Rezaei 24

Javad Nekounam 72 PK

Indonesia

Bambang Pamungkas 43

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1542961/index.html

http://www.payvand.com/news/11/nov/1162.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.qatar.bahrain.0136/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FhC1uWJuMI (Iran v. Indonesia)

Bahrain 1 - Iran 1; Qatar 4 - Indonesia 0

Bahrain desperately needed a win at home to Iran in Manama to push for a top-two finish in Group E. Iran played well below their potential as demonstrated in their previous five qualifying matches, and Bahrain knew that a win would move them level on points with Iran. Bahrain kept pushing, and their opener came in first half stoppage time. A free kick was miraculously saved, but the rebound fell to the side of the far post, from where a Bahrain played passed the ball across the face of the open goal for a tap-in score. The halftime score read Bahrain 1, Iran 0.

Bahrain pushed forward for a while, but Iran eventually became too strong on the attack and Bahrain had to throw more players into defense. Bahrain looked ready to escape with an enormous victory, but Iran struck the crossbar in second half stoppage time, and the rebound fell perfectly for a volley into an open net for a composed Mojtaba Jabari, who now much surely be a national icon after securing the 1-1 draw for Iran. After the match, Bahraini fans threw water bottles at Iranian players and burned Iran flags, leading to official complaints being filed by Iran's national football federation. Possible sanctions include removal of Bahrain's right to host Indonesia in February for the group finale.

Qatar were looking to capitalize upon the tie in the previous match to move joint top of the table with Iran. Qatar welcomed last-place Indonesia to Doha, but they were not kind hosts. A goal at the half hour mark and a penalty kick conversion three minutes later were enough for a 2-0 lead at the half.

Midway through the second period, Qatar added the third. Qatar's fourth fell in stoppage time, and with it fell the curtain on Indonesia's FIFA World Cup aspirations. The 4-0 win sets Qatar up nicely for their Tuesday home encounter against Bahrain, where a win would be enough to put Qatar into the final phase of Asian qualifying for the second successive tournament.

Iran 8 pts +9

Qatar 8 pts +5

Bahrain 5 pts -4

Indonesia OUT

Goals

Bahrain

Mahmood Mirza Al Ajami 45+1

Iran

Mojtaba Jabari 90+3

Qatar

Mohammed Razak 30

Ibrahim Khalfan 33 PK, 64

Sebastian Soria 90+2

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1541325/index.html

http://www.persianfootball.com/live/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3926:bahrain-and-iran-share-points&catid=13:team-melli-news&Itemid=175

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1756604

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhUKYi16IkE (Bahrain v. Iran)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWz5rR0c1rk (Qatar v. Indonesia)

Iran 6 - Bahrain 0; Qatar 3 - Indonesia 2

Qatar visited Indonesia before 85,000 spectators in rainy Jakarta. Uruguayan-born Cristian Gonzales did his very best to do his adopted home country proud. Qatar must have thought a rout was possible when they scored a goal just before the quarter hour mark, but Gonzales would not let the match get out of hand. He scored twelve minutes after the opener to equalize at 1-1. Ibrahim Khalfan would chip the Indonesia goalkeeper from outside the penalty area for a 2-1 lead just six minutes later, but again Gonzales responded, this time after a three-minute wait. Indonesia were thankful for the 2-2 scoreline at the half.

In the second half, Qatar superiority eventually shone through. A breakaway occurred when Mohammed Razak received a throughball and outran two Indonesian defenders, after which he fired home into the upper ninety in the face of an onrushing keeper. The 3-2 result held up as Gonzales could not replicate his magic for a hat trick. Qatar look to be in good shape with home matches remaining against Indonesia and Bahrain.

Iran were prepared for an important and tough test against Bahrain at home in the cavernous Azadi Stadium in Tehran. However, the task was made simpler when Rashid Al Hooti got himself thrown out of the match in the first minute, leaving Bahrain with ten men for a full ninety minutes against the best team in their group. Al Hooti set the FIFA World Cup qualifying record by getting a red card at forty-three seconds for his two-legged spikes up tackle from the side into Iranian star midfielder Andranik Teymourian. Teymourian emerged healthy from the tackle, luckily. Bahrain cannot be said to have emerged in quite as good of condition. Iran punished Bahrain with three goals in the first half to take a 3-0 lead into the break.

In the second half, Iran did not let up, scoring yet another trio of goals. Teymourian, as if to prove his health, scored the fourth goal of the match. The final score was 6-0, and a humiliated Bahrain side left with over 83,000 smiling faces applauding the triumph of Iran.

Iran 7 pts +9

Qatar 5 pts +1

Bahrain 4 pts -4

Indonesia 0 pts -6

Goals

Qatar

Abdulaziz Al-Sulati 14

Ibrahim Khalfan 32

Mohammed Razak 59

Indonesia

Cristian Gonzales 26, 35

Iran

Seyed Hosseini 22

Mojtaba Jobari 34

Hadi Aghili 42

Andranik Teymourian 62

Karim Ansari 75

Gholam Rezaei 83

Match Reports:

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/international-sport/168752-attacking-game-lifts-qatar-in-pouring-rain-.html

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/36744-iran-v-bahrain

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72WfNcLJvcA (Qatar v. Indonesia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOfGjswpJpQ (Iran v. Bahrain)

Qatar 1 - Iran 1; Bahrain 2 - Indonesia 0

Bahrain went to Jakarta in the first match of Group E today to face Indonesia. Bahrain had earned a creditable draw at home to Qatar in spite of various suspensions of Shia Muslim players in the national side. Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, packed 85,000 into its national stadium. However, Indonesia still have much to learn against their much less populous but highly-skilled Asian foes. Bahrain took a 1-0 lead in first half stoppage time with a strike from teenage midfielder Sayed Dhiya Saeed.

In the second half, Bahrain were able to extend the lead to 2-0 with twenty minutes remaining. Fireworks were set off in the stands by the unhappy spectators, causing a delay of a quarter hour, but the match eventually restarted. Bahrain held on for a 2-0 win to regain footing in the group table. Indonesia are considering using an under-23 side for the rest of FIFA World Cup qualifying. Here's to hoping that this does not occur but such a move would deny many players who earned the right to wear their national team colors a chance to prove that they do belong among the Asian power.

Qatar hosted Iran in the marquee matchup of the day in Group E. The match was a slow-starter, but the fans in Doha had plenty of tantalizing free kicks to witness in the first half, none of which led to any goals. Iran's captain Javad Nekounam had to be substituted due to an injury, but Iran did not seem any worse off without his presence. Iran took control of the match from then on, but they would have to wait until after the half to gain an advantage on the scoreboard.

One minute after returning, Iran blasted home the opener. Qatar, to their credit, pressed for the equalizer, which they found ten minutes after the opener. Iran continued to look the better side, however, but were unable to capitalize on two very good chances, and Qatar escaped their own building with a 1-1 draw to remain close to the top of a very tight group.

Iran 4 pts +3

Bahrain 4 pts +2

Qatar 2 pts 0

Indonesia 0 pts -5

Goals:

Bahrain

Sayed Dhiya Saeed 45+1

Ismaeel Abdullatif 71

Iran

Hadi Aghili 46

Qatar

Mohamed El Sayed 55

Match Reports:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/football/pssi-ponders-putting-u-23-squad-in-for-rest-of-qualifiers/464002

http://english.cntv.cn/program/sportsscene/20110907/111038.shtml

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/09/06/2080.ap.soc.qatar.iran.1st.ld.writethru.0509/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ruFZswmRM0 (Bahrain v. Indonesia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IQ_szlhHs (Qatar v. Iran)

Bahrain 0 - Qatar 0; Iran 3 - Indonesia 0

Iran opened up Group E of the AFC Third Round at home in Tehran against Indonesia. However, just as against Maldives in the previous round, Iran were made to work. Indonesia had a harmonized back line which stifled Iran's attack for the first forty-five minutes.

After the scoreless first half, the pressure was on the host side. However, two set pieces led to the demise of Indonesia. Javad Nekounam expertly headed away two goals off set piece deliveries, including a back-to-the-goal flicked off shot for his second tally. Iran added a third three minutes from time to take away a deserved victory by a score of 3-0.

Qatar visited Manama to face hosts and Gulf neighbors Bahrain in what is considered by many as the fight for second-place in the group behind powerhouse Iran. Authorities were hoping "fight" did not apply to fan behavior after a Qatari television network aired a less-than-flattering documentary on the political unrest in Bahrain just two weeks before the match, a documentary so divisive that the workers of the that channels have been denied entry into Bahrain. Bahrain was also missing many Shia Muslim national team players.

Amidst this external drama, an incredibly forgettable football match was held. Nothing seemed to happen in this match, and surely the fans were relieved to hear the final whistle mercifully end the scoreless snoozefest. The 0-0 result does nothing to separate the two teams in their race for the fourth round of qualifying.

After Qatar's draw at Bahrain finished the day's slate of Asian qualifiers, not a single number one or two seed in any group suffered a defeat. Next up in Group E are two matches on Tuesday: Iran at Qatar and Bahrain at Indonesia. Iran's captain Nekounam claims that all Asian teams are afraid of Iran and that Iran should take the victory on the road, so Qatar will not lack for motivation come game time.

Goals:

Iran

Javad Nekounam 53, 74

Andranik Teymourian 87

Match Reports:

http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30545656&SRCH=1

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1696682

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mTkjXIFsa4 (Iran v. Indonesia)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2nNt2kuiaA (Iran v. Indonesia)