Iran is the highest-ranked team in the 2019 Asian Cup, when it was ranked 29th in the FIFA rankings. They, along with South Korea, are the two teams that have participated in the most Asian Cups with 14 times. Meanwhile, Yemen is ranked 135th in the world, the lowest among the 24 teams participating in the 2019 Asian Cup. This is the first time in history that this team has participated in the biggest football festival in the continent.
Therefore, it is not too surprising that Iran easily controlled the situation, pressuring Yemen right after the opening whistle. Facing the opponent's crowded defensive play, coach Carlos Queiroz's team continuously took shots from a distance and only needed 12 minutes to score the opening goal.
Excited after the opening goal, Iran continued to pressure Yemen. In the 24th minute, Coach Carlos Queiroz's team was awarded a direct free kick from a distance of about 20m, Ashkan Dejagah was given the responsibility to carry out. This player hit the post, then touched the back of goalkeeper Al Sowadi and flew into the net, raising the score to 2-0.
2 minutes after Al Sowadi accidentally scored from his own net, the defense's carelessness caused Yemen to pick the ball up for the third time after Mehdi taremi's header. 3-0 was also the result of the first half.
In the second half, Yemen played very hard, but due to being inferior in level and class, this team did not cause any difficulties, creating truly delicious scoring opportunities for Iran.
In the 53rd minute, Iran was awarded a corner kick on the right wing, the ball was very uncomfortablely hung into the penalty area of Yemen, making the team's defense confused in blocking. Therefore, Sardar Azmoun took the opportunity to increase the score to 4-0.
Despite leading 4-0, Iran still attacked continuously towards Yemen's goal. In the 78th minute, Saman Ghoddos made a beautiful volley from outside the penalty area to defeat goalkeeper Al Sowadi, scoring the 5th goal for the home team.
In the remaining time of the match, coach Carlos Queiroz's team created some good scoring opportunities, but failed to take advantage of them. In the end, Iran won 5-0 against Yemen. This is the biggest win so far of the 2019 Asian Cup.
