Iran defeated South Korea 1-0 with the lone goal in the dying minutes of extra time to win the bronze medal in the men's soccer tournament of the Doha Asian Games on Thursday.

Despite dominating the pitch from the very beginning, South Korea tried in vain to convert its opportunities to goal in front of a staunch Iranian defense.

South Korean midfielder Baek Ji Hoon came close to breaking the deadlock in the 64th minute as his shot was only denied by an Iranian defender on the goal line.

In the second half of the extra time, Iranian midfielder Adel Kolahkaj powered the ball into the lower left corner of the net in114th minute.

"I am so excited with the victory. The players deserve all praises by Iranian people," said Iranian coach Rene Rodrigues Simoes.

However, the Brazilian coach said that teams from West Asia had better results, which doesn't suggest their superiority over teams from East Asia at the Doha Asia Games, like the semifinal South Korea and Iraq, during which South Korea had an upper hand but lost1-0 to Iraq.

On his part, South Korean coach Peter Verbeek was disappointed over the defeat, saying that "we launched a lot of attacks, created lots of opportunities ... but the players did not grasp one of them." 
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2006)