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Iran's Sardar Azmoun (2nd L) shoots during the Russia 2018 World Cup Asian Qualifier match between China and Iran in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Sept. 6, 2016. (Xinhua/Tao Xiyi)
SHENYANG, China, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China earned a goalless draw at home with Asian top ranked Iran here on Tuesday, snatching the first point after two matches of the final round of the FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers.
Neither side could break the deadlock in a drab match as Iran seemed to be the favorite to win with more shots and ball possession.
Iran's forward Alireza Jahan Bakhsh came close to score in the 24th minute, but his angled shot in the area went wide. A header from Iran's midfielder Masoud Shojaei in the 31st minute narrowly missed the goal.
China never threatened Iran's goalkeeper Ali Reza Beiranvand in the first half without a shot on target until the 50th minute as forward Wu Lei's blast in the left side of area was blocked by an Iranian defender.
Iran had two more chances to score then including a powerful long shot and a corner kick, but failed to find the net. China's substitute midfielder Zhang Xizhe also had a long shot in the extra-time, which was parried by goalkeeper Beiranvand.
Chinese goalkeeper Zeng Cheng was injured in a clash with Iranian player in a save and forced to be substituted in first half before he was taken to hospital for ligament problem.
"Iranian players are physically strong and pressed us hard in the first half, so we can not give them real threat," said China head coach Gao Hongbo. "Generally speaking, I'm satisfied with my players' performance. We have eight matches to play and I think we can get better."
"We're the weakest team in World Cup qualifying final phase, so we can't afford to underestimate any team in the last 12," Gao added.
The scoreless draw seemed to be okay to both sides. "It's a pity we did not win here," said Iran head coach Carlos Quieroz. "But we can accept it. It's an away match for us and we earn a point here at least."
"Chinese forward No. 9 (Zhang Yuning) impressed me the most and he gave us a lot of headache in defending.
"Chinese fans created an amazing atmosphere all through the game, so I thank them for that," Quieroz added.
China are trying to reach their second World Cup finals in history in the tough Group A which also brackets 2022 hosts Qatar, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Syria.
This is also China's first appearance in the final round of the Asian qualifiers for a World Cup after they qualified for South Korea/Japan 2002, their first and only appearance in the World Cup finals.
In another match of Group A, Syria forced a scoreless draw against South Korea in Malaysia.
South Korea boasted the ball possession but they couldn't tear down the opponents' solid defense.
The match was played at Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, also known as Paroi Stadium, in Seremban, Malaysia, since Syria can not host World Cup qualifiers at home due to the ongoing civil war.
In a Group B match, Saudi Arabia rallied to beat Iraq 2-1 on road. Nawaf Al Abed buried two penalties in the last nine minutes for the visitors.
War-torn Iraq, playing their home fixture in Malaysia's Shah Alam, struck early through Mohannad Abdul-Raheem and headed for victory as the clock ticked down.
But on 81 minutes, after Saad Natiq brought down Hassan Muath in the box, Abed drilled home a powerful equaliser from the spot.
And there was more to come after Abed won another penalty which he converted in the 87th minute to hand the Saudis their second win.
The top two in Group A and B qualify for the World Cup in Russia while the third-placed teams meet to decide who goes into a CONCACAF-Asian Zone playoff for a berth at the finals.
