Iran went top of Group D of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-Qualifiers on goal difference following Thursday’s 3-1 win over Turkmenistan.
With former leaders Oman not in action until Tuesday, Iran went into their fifth match of the qualifiers knowing a victory would lift them above the Gulf Sultanate to the top of the table. And Team Melli took just six minutes to take the lead against the Turkmen, with Morteza Pouraliganji scoring his second international goal following the China-based defender’s maiden strike in Iran’s 2015 AFC Asian Cup quarter-final against Iraq.
