AFC - Belarus ?IRAN lost 2-1
to Belarus in a pre-Asian Cup qualifying friendly in Minsk yesterday.
In front of 10,000 fans, the
home side edged in front in the ninth minute, with midfield player Maksim
Romashchenko scoring from the penalty spot. Belarus doubled their lead four
minutes before half-time as defender Siarhei Shtaniuk capitalised on some
uncertainty in the Iranian defence to find the net.
Belarus controlled the second half, but were left holding on as Pezhman
Nouri pulled a goal back for Iran six minutes from time. However, the
visitors were unable to find an equaliser and Belarus successfully preserved
their narrow lead.
Iran, who last week lost at home to Iraq, start their Asian Cup qualifying
campaign on September 5 when they play Jordan in Tehran