North Korean Player Injured in Azadi Stadium

PFDC - While Iran was leading 1-0 in the 60th minute of the match, a fire cracker was thrown into the pitch near the corner flag of the Korean side. Moments later a Korean player went down, allegedly being hit by the cracker. The Korean Officials immediately signaled for the team to retreat to the touchline near their bench and moments later withdrew to the locker rooms. The Koreans claimed that the pitch was unsafe, contrary to the referee’s confidence that the match may continue despite the incident.

All attempts to persuade the Koreans to return and continue the remaining half an hour of the match was in vain and subsequently the referee announced the game over after exhausting the legal waiting time. 

The Koreans frustration has started earlier on when a sudden flurry of action by the Korean officials was evident near the touchline. They were claiming that Moharram Navidkia , who was substituted in at the beginning of the 2nd half, was illegible to play the match because suspension. The AFC match official, Ahmed Jassim from Bahrain, eventually managed to convince the Koreans of their error, but the Koreans were not very convinced and reluctantly retreated under protest. 

The second sign of Korean frustration occurred with their vehement protest against the referee’s decision to award a penalty for Iran in the 54th minute. What clearly seemed like a penalty by the goalkeeper on Mahdavikia, did not please the Korean players and officials. Daei took the kick and scored in the 55th minute. 

5 minutes later the fire-cracker incident occurred and it was a blessing in disguise for a team that in one way or another , were looking for an excuse to withdraw from the match hoping for some kind of miracle to qualify for China 2004. 

The match itself was quite a dour affair, with both teams playing cautiously in the first half which ended goal-less. There were only a few serious offensive moves by both teams, of which Karimi’s ball and Mahdavikia’s free kick was the most dangerous. 

Although the Koreans managed to reach the Iranian penalty box several times, and seemed that they were not going to be an easy prey against the much more organized opponents, their lack of creativity, and weak finishing created little threat to Mirzapour and his defense line. Subsequently, with the penalty goal scored against them, their attitude changed dramatically and their interest in playing simply waned. 

Both countries have to wait for AFC for a final ruling.

Posted By: Majeed Panahi