Tehran Times - Iran national football team defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-2 in Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualification on Tuesday.
Mehdi Taremi gave the visiting team the lead in the 13th minute at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek and Saleh Hardani made the scoreboard 2-0 in the 33rd minutes.
Joel Kojo pulled a goal back with a header six minutes into the second half and converted his penalty four minutes after the hour mark.
Sardar Azmoun scored Iran’s third goal with a header in the 76th minute.
Team Melli almost secured their berth in the 2026 World Cup with 16 points.
Earlier in the day, Uzbekistan defeated DPR Korea 1-0 and are second with 13 points.
Iran will meet the United Arab Emirates when the AFC Asian Qualifiers resume in March with Kyrgyzstan to take on Uzbekistan.
