PLDC - The Islamic Republic of Iran U17 team kicked off their AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ Qualifiers campaign with an outstanding 5–0 victory over Chinese Taipei in Group D on Monday.
Having sat out Matchday One, Iran wasted no time settling into the rhythm of the competition. In the opening minutes, Amirmohammad Afrasyabi forced goalkeeper Lin Cheng-En into action with a curling strike, and shortly after, Amirreza Valipoor hit the crossbar with a powerful header from a Mahan Beheshti delivery.
Beheshti himself came close in the 10th minute, creating space at the top of the box before seeing his shot saved by a diving Lin. The Chinese Taipei goalkeeper continued to be busy, parrying Beheshti’s free-kick moments later, while Amirmahan Afrooziani struck the post on the rebound.
Iran finally broke the deadlock in the 45th minute. A shot from Beheshti deflected off Gao Yu-Zhu and slipped into the net, giving Iran a deserved 1–0 lead going into halftime.
• 52’ – Amirreza Valipoor calmly finished after bringing down a long pass and rounding the keeper.
• 54’ – Jafar Asadi doubled the advantage just two minutes later, weaving through the defence and finishing from close range.
• 83’ – Mohammad Ghasemi added the fourth with a clever lob over the advancing goalkeeper.
• 90+ – Mahan Beheshti capped off the scoring in stoppage time with a composed strike from inside the area.
A commanding performance from Iran, who now look strong contenders as the Group D competition continues.
