World Cup Qualifiers - Taremi scored twice, Iran 2-2 Uzbekistan advanced two rounds in advance

In the 8th round of Group A of the third stage of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Iran played against Uzbekistan at home. They finally tied Uzbekistan 2-2 with Taremi's double goal and advanced to the World Cup two rounds in advance.

Iran has thus become the third team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after Japan and New Zealand.

First Half

Iran took the initiative after the opening, with Azmoun scoring the first goal of the game at the top of the arc in the 9th minute. In the 15th minute, Gayedi took a corner kick from the right, and Jahanbakhsh's header from close range was saved by Yusupov. However, just one minute later, Shafeev's cross from the left caused Khalilzad to make a mistake in clearing the ball, and Yerkinov took the opportunity to score for Uzbekistan to take the lead.

Iran, which was one goal behind, stepped up its offensive before the end of the first half, but failed to make any progress: in the 26th minute, Taremi headed the ball in the penalty area to assist, and Gaedi's shot was blocked by Yusupov. In the 29th minute, Godos sent a precise pass in the frontcourt, and Azmoun's single shot was slightly off the left post. In the end, they could only watch Uzbekistan enter the halftime break with a 1-0 advantage.

Second Half

In the second half, the two sides changed sides and continued the game. In the 49th minute, Shukurov assisted Eshmuradov to score from an offside position, but the referee ruled the goal invalid after VAR signaled. Iran, which escaped the disaster, quickly launched a counterattack and equalized the score in the 52nd minute: Azmoun passed the ball back in the penalty area, and Taremi volleyed the ball through Yusupov's fingers. However, Faizulaev scored directly from the free kick on the left side of the front court just one minute later, helping Uzbekistan take the lead again.

Uzbekistan had a chance to expand the lead in the 74th minute, but Faizulayev's single-handed opportunity was saved by Beiranvand. In the 83rd minute, Eshmuradov's clearance was not far away, and Taremi's shot in front of the goal helped Iran equalize again.

After that, neither side made any progress. At the end of the game, Iran tied with Uzbekistan 2-2 and advanced to the next round two rounds in advance.