India goes down 0-3 against Iran IR after a good first half in CAFA Nations Cup 2025

Overview

• India lost 0-3 against Iran IR after a good first half in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025
• While India's attack was impressive in the first half, the defensive unit was challenged and pierced in the second half
• Amir Hossein Hosseinzadeh, Ali Alipour, and Mehdi Taremi scored goals for the World No.20 side

India lost 0-3 against Iran IR after a good first half in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025. While India's attack was impressive in the first half, the defensive unit was challenged and pierced in the second half. Amir Hossein Hosseinzadeh, Ali Alipour, and Mehdi Taremi scored goals for the World No.20 side.

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India played well in the first half despite Iran possessing the ball better. The South Asian side pressed hard on the attack even after threats from the opponents. India conceded many penalties and got away with it by avoiding conceding goals. After the end of the first half, neither side had managed to score a goal. 

Everything changed in the second half when Iran pressed hard from their attacking front. India made five changes and hoped for the fresh players to stand the challenge of the Iranian unit. However, Iran was too good for India, as they pierced the defenders, found gaps, and troubled the goalkeeper more than India did. 

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Iran's attack in the last 10 minutes takes the game away from India

In the 59th minute of the match, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh scored from close range. For the next 30 minutes, India managed to contain Iran pretty well. However, the Iranian players kept pushing for chances and forced the Indian defensive unit to react. In the last 10 minutes of the match, India lost the plot completely and conceded the game.

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In the 89th minute of the match, Ali Alipour made use of Jahanbakhsh's save and scored a rebound goal. In the 6th minute of the extra time, Mehdi Taremi scored the third goal for Iran and sealed the game for good. While India was impressive for a major part of the match, the inability to contain Iran in the last 10 minutes cost them the match.