Brisbane, Australia: Substitute Reza Ghoochannejhad scored a controversial injury-time goal to lift Iran to a 1-0 win over UAE and top spot in Group C at the Asian Cup on Monday.
Despite a free-flowing game, and a virtuoso performance by UAE playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, neither side could find a breakthrough until Ghoochannejhad's late strike helped Asia's top-ranked team avoid a likely quarterfinal showdown with Japan.
Ghoochannejhad appeared to be offside when he pounced on a ball — that had ricocheted off team-mate Andranik Teymourian — and directed his header into the top corner from close range.
At Sydney, Bahrain beat Qatar 2-1 to finish third in Group C in a match between two already eliminated teams.
