Jabbari saves Iran’s blushes in World Cup qualifier

TEHRAN,Nov. 12(MNA)-- Motaba Jabbari’s goal in the dying moments of the game salvaged a 1-1 draw for Iran against Bahrain in a Group E match in the 2014 World Cup qualifying on Friday. In the match held at Manama’s Bahrain National Stadium, Mahmood Al Ajmi scored for Bahrain just seconds before the interval but Mojtaba Jabbari equalized the match with an injury time goal. The Persians had already routed the Bahrainis 6-0 in the match held at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on October 11. Iran will meet Indonesia on November 15 at Jakarta’s Bung Karno Stadium. The Iranians defeated the Indonesian team 3-0 in Tehran in their previous encounter. Qatar beat Indonesia 4-0 in the same group at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Iran is in first place in Group E on goal difference with 8 points followed by Qatar, which has 8 points, and Bahrain with five points. Indonesia is in fourth place with zero points. The winners and runners-up of the five groups will be drawn into two pools for the round-robin fourth stage, with the eventual top two in each section earning a ticket to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The two third-placed teams will then face each other for the right to contest an intercontinental play-off.