So long, Angola

Angola failed in their bid to reach the knockout phase of the World Cup on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 with already eliminated Iran.

Angola failed in their bid to reach the knockout phase of the World Cup on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 with already eliminated Iran.

Striker Flavio came off the bench to give Angola a 1-0 lead at the Zentralstadion after an hour, but defender Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh headed firmly home in the 75th minute to seal the draw.

Angola coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves again opted to start with captain Akwa as a lone striker supported by a solid five-man midfield. But he failed to make much impression on the Iranian defence and was replaced by Flavio in the 51st minute after picking up a groin injury.

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Within 10 minutes Flavio had scored Angola’s first goal in a World Cup finals, heading powerfully home from a perfect right-wing cross by Ze Kalanga.

Iran had dominated the first half and should have taken the lead in the 24th minute. Their attacking potency was dulled considerably when Hashemian was forced off just before the break with what appeared to be an injury to his lower back. They finally broke through when Bakhtiarizadeh was left completely unmarked from a corner and guided his header to the far post.Iain Rogers

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