Iran edges past Morocco in FIFA Futsal World Cup

TEHRAN,Nov.6(MNA) -- Iran earned a narrow victory over brave Morocco in the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup group stage on Monday. The Asian heavyweight took a major step towards reaching the last 16 with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Morocco at Bangkok’s Huamark Indoor Stadium. Ali Hassanzadeh put the Persians into a lead in the 19th minute but Youssef El Mazray equalized the match 11 seconds later from the penalty spot. Iran was dominant and put the African team under pressure but its players didn’t take advantage of their chances. With eight minutes remaining, Afshin Kazemi put the ball in the back of the net. “Morocco played well today, much better than the last time we played each other. In the first half we missed too many chances. Our players were under pressure until we scored the second goal," Iran coach Ali Sanei said in a post-match news conference. “I wouldn’t say I’m happy with the way we played, but I’m satisfied -- at least with some of my players’ performances. We were certainly more organized in this match than we were against Panama. We will now go into our final match against Spain looking to give the best impression of Moroccan futsal,” Morocco coach Hicham Dguig said.