Iran footballers beat Bulgaria 1-0 in pre-AFC Asian Cup friendly
The Iran men’s national football team, domestically known as Team Melli, defeated Algeria in a friendly fixture as part of its preparations for the forthcoming 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
On Thursday, Team Melli beat the Lions 1-0 at the Hristo Botev Stadium in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. The match gave the Iranian footballers some competitive testing before starting their continental campaign against Palestine.
In the 8th minute, Bulgarian footballer Dimo Krastev, who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie B club Catanzaro on loan from Fiorentina, was shown a yellow card for a bad foul.
Iranian professional footballer Mohammad Mohebi found the back of the net with a header in the 14th minute.
The visitors powered through the first half, despite Iran's efforts to reverse the course.
After the break, the hosts sought to place Team Melli under pressure to tie the match.
Their efforts did not yield any result, and the Iranians edged past their Bulgarian counterparts at the end of the scrimmage.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is pitted against Hong Kong, Palestine and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Group C of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
China, Lebanon, Qatar and Tajikistan form Group A in the upcoming quadrennial international sports event.
Australia is drawn in Group B, and is pitted against India, Syria and Uzbekistan.
Indonesia, Iraq, Japan and Vietnam are drawn in Group D.
Group E consists of Bahrain, Jordan, Malaysia and South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand shaping Group F.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will run between January 12 and February 10 next year in Qatar.
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