Iran blanks Kuwait 2-0 in 2016 AFC U-19 Championship qualifier
Iran's national football team has booked a place in the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship by registering its third victory, against Kuwait, in the qualification round of the games.
On Tuesday, the Iranian outfit edged past Kuwait 2-0 in a Group E fixture at the Samen al-Aemeh Stadium in the city of Mashhad - located 850 kilometers (528 miles) northeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran - making an statement of intent for the next year's tournament.
The Persians placed Kuwait goal under pressure since the beginning moments of the match, and Reza Karmolachaab opened the scoring for the hosts in the 47th minute deep in first half injury time.
The Iranian soccer players maintained their composure as they returned to action. Omid Nourafkan doubled Iran’s lead in the 62nd minute, sealing the win.
The victory helped Iran qualify to play in the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship, which is scheduled to be staged in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain.
A total of 16 teams will play in the tournament, including Bahrain, which qualified automatically as the hosts but is also competing in the qualifying stage.
The 2016 AFC U-19 Championship acts as the AFC qualifier for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, with the top four teams qualifying.
Since South Korea has already qualified automatically as the AFC U-19 Championship hosts, the fifth-placed team will also qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup if the South Korean team finishes in the top four.
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