Iran U16 was defeated 2-0 by Indonesia in its first match of the 2018 AFC U16 Championship in Malaysia on 21 September.
Things didn’t get any better three days later as Iran was unable to score against India in a scoreless draw on 24 September.
It was a rough match for the Iranian youngsters as Alireza Bavieh was denied from the penalty spot.
Iran defeated Vietnam 5-0 on 27 September but in order to have advanced to the next round, Iran also needed help.
A scoreless draw between Indonesia and India would eliminate Iran, and that is exactly what happened.
It didn’t matter that the games were being played simultaneously. Indonesia and India knew that playing for a scoreless draw would send both of them to the quarterfinals.
Some Iranian football fans are probably upset, but the Iranian youngsters only have themselves to blame for not beating India and not being able to score from the penalty spot.