Iran qualifies for 2018 World Cup, in sharp contrast to ‘embarrassing’ Israel

While Israel crashed 3-0 at home to Albania this week and has no chance of World Cup qualification, its regional rival Iran smoothly qualified for the 2018 World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Monday’s win was Iran’s sixth from eight matches in Group A and took the table-toppers to 20 points, with South Korea in second on 13 ahead of its game against Qatar on Tuesday.

Iran is unbeaten in the group stage and remarkably has not conceded a single goal during the campaign, underlining its credentials as one of Asia’s football giants.

On Monday, it recorded its second win over Uzbekistan on the road to the 2018 tournament in Russia, with Rostov forward Sarder Azmoun first finding the net in the 23rd minute with a right-footed shot from the left of the box following a through ball from Alireza Jahanbaksh.

The Uzbeks struggled for momentum and failed to break down the famed Iranian defense, eventually conceding their second goal of the match in the 88th minute with Mehdi Taremi finishing from Azmoun’s pass.

Iran, which has seen its ranking rise from 108th in the world in 1995 to its current 30th, has played in the World Cup finals four times in the past – in 1978, 1998, 2006 and 2014.

So successful has Iran proved in the qualifying games that it has become only the second team to secure its place in the finals, after five-time World Cup champions Brazil. Russia, as host of the tournament from June 14 to July 15, 2018, is given an automatic spot.

Iran’s remarkable progress to the 2018 finals contrasts sharply with Israel’s form.

Sunday’s defeat in Haifa by Albania leaves Israel in joint third place in Group G, with no prospect of making it to Russia, and a battle now merely to finish in third place and thus secure a more favorable qualifying path for the 2022 tournament.

Ranked 55th in the world, Israel has qualified for the World Cup finals only once, in 1970.

The Israeli team came into Sunday’s game having beaten Albania 3-0 in their last encounter. It was the hot favorite to win the home game, but fell to a heavy defeat in its poorest performance of the qualifying campaign to date.

While Iran’s victory prompted celebrations in the streets of Tehran, the Israeli team was booed off the field by its own fans, and newspaper headlines on Monday morning called its performance a “Disgrace,” an “embarrassment,” and “one of the biggest humiliations” in national soccer history.

Israel had the first shot on goal, with Bibras Nacho’s shot tipped over the bar by Albanian goalkeeper Thoma Strakosha. But Armando Sadiku managed to put the ball past Israeli goalie David Goresh in the 22nd minute. Sadiku scored again a minute from half time with a shot from 25 yards out.

In the second half, Elisha Levy’s team kept the pressure on the Albanians, but was unable to get anything for it. Then Ledian Memushaj scored a third goal for the visitors with only a few minutes to go in the match.

This result leaves Israel and Albania tied in third place in the group on 9 points, behind leaders Spain and Italy, each on 16 points.

Israel’s next game is an away match against Macedonia in September.