By Desmond Nleya
DUBAI — Tanzania suffered a 2-0 defeat to Iran in an international friendly match held on Tuesday at Rashid Stadium in Dubai.
The East African side found themselves under early pressure when Iran was awarded a penalty in the 17th minute after Mohammad Mohebi was brought down inside the box. Amir Hossein Hosseinzadeh converted from the spot to give Iran the lead.
Tanzania’s defensive woes continued just nine minutes later. Defender Ibrahim Hamd inadvertently deflected Mohebi’s shot into his own net, doubling Iran’s advantage in the 26th minute.
Iran thought they had scored a third when substitute Alireza Jahanbakhsh found the back of the net, but the effort was ruled out for handball.
Ranked 21st in the latest FIFA standings, Iran was looking to bounce back following a 2-1 loss to Russia in their previous friendly. Tanzania, meanwhile, will take valuable lessons from the match as they continue to build their international experience.
