The match, held at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, was marred by an embarrassing delay due to a stadium lighting failure but ended with Iran inching closer to World Cup qualification.
The game started at 19:30 local time, with Iran creating early chances.
In the fourth minute, a long pass from Roozbeh Cheshmi found Mehdi Ghaedi behind the UAE defense, but he failed to convert.
Moments later, Ghaedi’s pinpoint cross was met by Sardar Azmoun, who set up Mohammad Mohebi, but UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa denied the effort.
After just ten minutes, one of the stadium’s floodlights malfunctioned, forcing a long stoppage. Despite a 15-minute wait, the referee directed players to the locker rooms. Shortly after, the lights were restored, and play resumed following an additional warm-up.
Iran broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time when Ghaedi’s clever chip found Azmoun, who headed the ball past the goalkeeper.
Early in the second half, a Mohebi goal was ruled offside by VAR. However, in the 70th minute, Mohebi outran the UAE defense and coolly slotted Iran’s second goal.
With this victory, Iran leads Group A with 19 points, needing just one more point against Uzbekistan on March 25 to secure qualification.
