1988 Asian Championship Qualifiers (May 1988)

Following a long layoff, Iran approached the 1988 Asian Championship in a state of disarray. Many of the players from the unsuccessful Olympic qualifying campaign were recalled. With the 14 resigned players still unavailable, Dehdari brought in some more fresh faces such as Moharrami, Nader Mohammadkhani (no relation to Naser), Ashouri and Kermani Moghaddam. In preparation for the Asian Championship qualifiers, Iran made a trip to the Far East, playing 3 Chinese provincial teams, tying 2 games 0-0 and winning the 3rd 1-0. 

The qualifiers for the 1988 Asian Championship took place in Nepal in a group consisting of Iran, Hong Kong, Nepal, North Korea and Syria, with the top two teams qualifying.

In the opening game Iran faced Hong Kong and in a game where the main challenge was to predict the direction the ball would bounce after it hit the uneven playing field, Iran managed a 2-0 win thanks to goals by Marfavi and Ghayeghran. 

On the other hand a 2-1 by Syria over North Korea increased the chances for qualification with one of Iran’s direct rivals losing two precious points. The second game was against the victorious Syrians. A solid game by Syria and a 13^th minute goal rattled the team, but in the second half Iran’s constant attacks resulted in an equalizer by Karim Bavi in the 73^rd minute. 

 

In Iran’s third game the team faced a desperate North Korean team that needed a win to have any chance of qualifying. The Koreans threw everything they had into their attack and may have even deserved a win, however, Iran’s strong defense and exceptional performance by Abedzadeh earned them a scoreless tie which virtually ensured a place in the finals. 

 

Only in the unlikely scenario of a shock loss against hosts Nepal, who had yet to score in the competition and were firmly placed at the bottom of the table, would Iran have been watching the finals on the tube. In a well-played game and behind a hat trick by Bavi, Iran disposed of their hosts 3-0, finished in 2^nd place behind Syria and qualified for the finals in Qatar. Bavi finished as the top scorer with four goals while Abedzadeh only received a single goal in three matches with Rezaei keeping a clean sheet in the final game against Nepal.