2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA–AFC play-off)

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2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
(UEFA–AFC play-off)
Event2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
Republic of Ireland Iran
Republic of Ireland Iran
2 1
(on aggregate)
First leg
Republic of Ireland Iran
2 0
Date10 November 2001
VenueLansdowne Road, Dublin
RefereeAntonio Pereira da Silva (Brazil)
Attendance36,538
Second leg
Iran Republic of Ireland
1 0
Date15 November 2001
VenueAzadi Stadium, Tehran
RefereeWilliam Mattus Vega (Costa Rica)
Attendance100,000

The 2002 FIFA World Cup UEFA–AFC qualification play-off was a two-legged home-and-away tie between a group runner-up of the European qualifying tournament, the Republic of Ireland, and the winners of the AFC play-off, Iran. The games were played on 10 November and 15 November 2001 in Dublin and Tehran, respectively.[1]

Ireland beat Iran 2–0 in the first leg held in Dublin, while in the second leg, Iran defeated Ireland 1–0 in Tehran. The Irish side won the series 2–1 on aggregate, therefore qualifying to the World Cup.

Venues[]

Lansdowne Road in Dublin (left) and Azadi Stadium in Tehran, venues for the series

Background[]

Republic of Ireland Round Iran
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Portugal 10 7 3 0 33 7 26 24
 Republic of Ireland 10 7 3 0 23 5 18 24
 Netherlands 10 6 2 2 30 9 21 20
 Estonia 10 2 2 6 10 26 -16 8
 Cyprus 10 2 2 6 13 31 -18 8
 Andorra 10 0 0 10 5 36 -31 0
Final standings
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Saudi Arabia 8 5 2 1 17 8 9 17
 Iran 8 4 3 1 10 7 3 15
 Bahrain 8 2 4 2 8 9 −1 10
 Iraq 8 2 1 5 9 10 −1 7
 Thailand 8 0 4 4 5 15 −10 4
AFC play-off Opponent Result
1st leg  United Arab Emirates (H) 1–0
2nd leg  United Arab Emirates (A) 3–0

Match details[]

First leg[]

First leg
Republic of Ireland 2–0 Iran
Harte Goal 44' (pen.)
Keane Goal 50'		 (Report)
Attendance: 36,538

OFFICIALS

MATCH RULES

Second leg[]

Second leg
Iran 1–0 Republic of Ireland
Golmohammadi Goal 90' (Report)
Attendance: 100,000

OFFICIALS

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level:
  • 3 (of 7) substitutions permitted

Aftermath[]

Ireland qualified to the 2002 FIFA World Cup and were drawn into Group E with Germany, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia. Ireland drew with Cameroon and Germany with the same score 1–1 and in the final match they won 3–0 against Saudi Arabia. They qualified to the Round of 16 but were eliminated by Spain on penalties (2–3) after finishing 1–1.

Iran failed to qualify after an aggregate defeat to the Republic of Ireland, losing 2–0 in Dublin and winning 1–0 in Tehran. The elimination saw manager Miroslav Blažević step down from the top spot to be replaced by his assistant Branko Ivanković, who stepped up from assistant coach.

References[]

  1. ^ "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan - Qualifiers". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
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