Angola draw 1-1 with Iran in Group D

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Angola scored its first Fifa World Cup goal against Iran in a 1-1 draw that was not enough to put the African side into the round of sixteen.

Angola needed to win at least 2-0 in their game and for Mexico to lose 2-0 to Portugal in the other Group D game played, Wednesday.

For fifteen minutes Goncalves De Oliveira might have thought his side could do what was necessary when Ze Kalanga's beautiful cross to Flavio was headed over Ebrahim Mirzapour and Angola were one-up.

The news from the other Group D game played concurrently was that Mexico were losing 2-1; two more goals for Angola or Portugal or one more goal for each would do it.

However; Branko Ivankovic's team were not to be beaten. Iran had 55 per cent of ball possession in the match and saw twelve shots saved by the Angolan keeper, Ricardo.

Iran may consider they were the better side on the day and deserved to share the point they earned 15 minutes after they conceded.

A corner met Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh who, barely challenged, guided his header into the open net to the right of a stationary Ricardo.

In the first half, on 26 minutes, a similar move almost resulted in a goal for Iran. Vahid Hashemian saw his header, also from a corner, cleared off the line by the man on the post, Mendonca. When Iran scored there was nobody on the post.