Iran routs 10-man Bahrain 6-0 in WCup qualifying
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran thrashed 10-man Bahrain 6-0 on Tuesday to go top of Group E in third round Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Bahrain was reduced to 10 men after just 43 seconds when defender Rashid al-Hoti was shown a straight red card for his tackle on midfielder Andranik Teimourian.
Iran took advantage of the superior numbers from the 22nd minute when defender Jalal Hosseini scored from a rebound.
The hosts were ahead 3-0 by the break after midfielder Mojtaba Jabbari scored from a right-footed shot inside the box in the 34th. Defender Hadi Aghili then headed home a corner in the 42nd.
Midfielder Andranik Teimourian sent a 61st-minute shot from outside the area into the top corner of goal to open Iran's second half burst.
Striker Karim Ansarifard scored from close range in 75th before fellow substitute Gholamreza Rezaei headed in the last with seven minutes to play at the Azadi Stadium, where the match was played without incident after FIFA had appointed a security expert for the "high risk" game.
Iran leads Group E with seven points from three games. Qatar is second with five points after beating Indonesia 3-2. Bahrain has four points and winless Indonesia is last.
