Iran's U23 National Team Stopped by South Korea with a Single Goal

In the final match of the Olympic qualifying football tournament for Athens, Iran's U23 football team lost to South Korea by one goal. According to ISNA, while South Korea's qualification for the Olympics was already secured, making this match a ceremonial one for both teams, Iran's lineup included Rahmati, Madanchi, Mobali, Navidkia, Kabbi, Shakouri, Badavi, Kamali Monfared, Barahani, Alavi, and Zareh against their opponent at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. The two teams displayed a balanced game by the end of the first half, with most of the time the ball flowing in the midfield. In the second half, South Korea gained a noticeable advantage and even scored a goal in the 60th minute, which was disallowed by the referee. Late in the second half, Navidkia was substituted due to injury by Akbarpour, which allowed South Korea to move more freely in midfield. In the 90th minute, as everyone awaited the Japanese referee's final whistle, South Korean forward Kim Do-hoon scored the winning goal with a beautiful header from a cross from the left side of Iran's goal. The poor positioning of Iran's defenders was evident in this goal. Thus, with the end of this match, South Korea qualified for the Olympics with 18 points from six matches without conceding a goal. Iran's team finished second in the group with 9 points. Prior to this match, the national teams of Iran and South Korea had faced each other 17 times, with South Korea winning 8 times and Iran winning 6 times, while three matches ended in a draw. In total, South Korea scored 24 goals and Iran scored 18 goals in these 17 matches.