Fatorda (Goa) Iran opened their 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup with a 3- 1 win over Guinea in their Group C game at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda.

All goals were scored in the second half with Sayyad Allahyar ( 59′) and Sharifi Mohammad ( 70′ pen) while Fandje Toure ( 90+ 1′) reduced the margin of defeat.

Guinea’s Toure had already initiated his celebration but had to refrain himself after his header off Soumah Ibrahima’s cross from the right crashed off the post in the 15th minute.

Minutes earlier, Iran had given Guinea the first scare when Esmaeil Zadeh Amir’s free- kick from an acute angle tested Sylla Ibrahima in his goal.

Toure had another glorious opportunity around the half hour mark but saw his firmly struck left footer from inside the box thwarted out by Iranian goalkeeper Gholam Zadeh Ali.

Sayyad eventually put Iran in the driver’s seat in the second half as he got on a loose ball at the edge of the box and drilled it into the top left corner in the 59th minute.

Camara Cherif ‘ s mid- air challenge inside the box wherein the Guinean kicked Ghaderi Mohammad in the ribs as the Iranian was attempting a header from Shariati Taha’s cross from the right, resulted in the referee Argote Jose flashing the red card and pointing to the spot.

Sharifi stepped up and converted the resultant penalty to double Iran’s lead by the 70th minute.

With Guinea down to 10 men, Hosseinzadeh Amirhossein could have soon made it 3- 0 with the option of playing to Sharifi who was open on the right but chose to go for glory himself, spotting the goalkeeper off his line, but he didn’t get the ball to dip enough.

In the 90th minute, as Nadari Vahid’s long ball was chased down by Karimi Saeid, Sylla succumbed to the pressure in the one- on- one situation which resulted in Iran’s third goal of the evening.