10-man Iran defeats S. Korea in World Cup qualifier

TEHRAN,Oct.17(MNA) - 10-man Iran beat Asian giant South Korea 1-0 in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday. Iran captain Javad Nekounam scored the winning goal with a shot from just outside the penalty area in the 75th minute. The Koreans were the better team in the first half and hit the bar twice. Iran’s Masoud Shojaei was sent off by Singaporean referee Abdul Malik Bin Abdul Bashir in the 55th minute after receiving his second yellow card. South Korea remains atop Group A with seven points on goal difference. Iran is second with seven points. The Uzbeks are third with five points, one point ahead of Qatar and Lebanon. Uzbekistan defeated Qatar 1-0 in Doha in the group. Striker Sanjar Tursunov was the match-winner with a 13th minute goal.