the-afc.com

Hamedan: Iraq smashed five past Thailand to claim pole position in Group B and set up a daunting tie against hosts Iran in the semi-finals of the AFC U-14 Championship 2014.

Mohanad Ali Kadhim continued his brilliant run in front of the goal by scoring twice, while Ali Kadhim, Abbas Mohsin and Ahmad Swadi were also on the scoresheet at the Mofateh Stadium..

Iraq remained unbeaten in Group B, bagging seven points from three matches to finish top, while at the Hajibabaie Stadium, Korea Republic fought hard to edge Tajikistan 2-0 and set up to set up another potentially classic semi-final against traditional rivals DPR Korea.

It took just 10 minutes for Kadhim (Mohanad) to open Iraq’s account after they were awarded a penalty. He further extended the lead in the 37th minute after Kadhim (Ali) had made it 2-0 in the 18th minute. There were second-half goals from substitute Abbas who scored shortly before the hour mark, and a stoppage time strike from another substitute Swadi.

“It is very important to qualify as a group winner, this gives you a psychological advantage,” Iraq coach Sadd Hashim told www.the-afc.com.

“However, I’m not overly ecstatic about our performance today. There is still room for improvement, and I am sure that we will see a different Iraq team on Monday,” he added.

Thailand finished the campaign with one win and two losses but coach Somsak Senchaowanich hailed the campaign as ‘successful’.

“We played good football but failed to qualify. I am not totally dejected, we will continue to improve in the future,” he added.

Iran will play Iraq on Monday 11th August at for a place in the final match.