Iran clinch World Cup spot

Iran booked a place at their third World Cup as Branko Ivankovic’s side defeated Bahrain 1-0 in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium today to guarantee a place in next year’s finals in Germany.

Mohammad Nosrati scored the only goal of the game three minutes into the second half to move Iran into top spot in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifying tournament, one point ahead of Japan, who defeated North Korea 2-0 earlier in the day to become the first team to qualify for the finals.