China fail to make it count against Iran

KUALA LUMPUR - China made heavy weather of their match against Iran, letting their opponents off the hook several times for a goalless draw in their opening Group B match of the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Youth (Under-20) championship at the KL Football Stadium in Cheras yesterday.

In another Group B match, Qatar got off to a good start when they defeated Indonesia 1-0.

Emad Al Dahri was the toast of the team when he scored the solitary goal from outside the box in the 10th minute.

The Indons playing with a five-man defence were caught napping when Emad surprised goalkeeper Tri Prasanto with a curling shot to the top corner of the net.

The Chinese, who last won the title in 1984, dominated for much of the match and had numerous chances to dispose of their opponents - but they were just unable to make their chances at goal count, especially in the first half.

Attacking midfielder Chen Tao was a constant thorn in the Iran half and could have single-handedly finished off Iran if he had taken all four goal scoring chances presented to him, including one which came off the woodwork as early in the fifth minute.

China coach Yin Tie Sheng admitted that his boys had the upper hand and he was satisfied with the level of their performance although they did not put away the chances that came their way.

“It is always difficult to play the first game. It is a pity we were unable to make the scoring chances count,” he said.

Iran coach Ali Dousti Hamid felt his boys did well to bounce back after a slow start.

“Yes, we did not do well in the beginning but they improved in the second-half,” he said.

The Chinese made an early impact and troubled the Iranian defence but were unlucky not to find the net despite having four sitters in the first half.

Chen Tao received a through pass from Hao Jun Min and broke loose into the box but was unlucky to see his grounder come off the post.

He was again unchallenged inside the box going for a header from point blank range but Iran goalkeeper Seyed Mahdi Eslami did well to ward off the danger in the 23rd minute.

It was Chen Tao again failed to find the target in the 27 minute with his powerful free-kick from 25m out. Four minutes before the breather, he missed another sitters from close range.

Three-time champions Iran gave a better account of themselves after the breather and were the aggressors in the early exchanges and came close to taking the lead when striker Mehrdad Oladi broke loose inside the box.

This time, he was denied by the woodwork.

Early in the second-half, China brought on their teenage sensation Dong Fang Zhou, the Manchester United signing, who is currently on loan to Belgium's Royal Entwerp.

Dong showed his skills when he dribbled past two defenders to set striker Zhu Ting up with an open chance. The lanky hitman ballooned the ball.