TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran set a World Cup qualifying
record score when they beat Guam 19-0 in Asia's first round of
qualifying for the 2002 finals.
Charlton Athletic midfielder Karim Bagheri scored six times
at the Takhti Stadium in Tabriz on Friday as Iran improved on
their own record, set when they defeated the Maldives 17-0 in
the qualifying tournament for the 1998 finals.
Bagheri scored seven in the win over the Indian Ocean island
side in 1997, helping Iran qualify for the World Cup for the
first time for 20 years.
Other scorers were Ali Daei, the current Asian player of the
year, who claimed four, as did Pirouzi striker Ali Karimi.
Esteghlal's former Rapid Vienna forward Farhad Majidi hit a
hat-trick.
The defeat was the second by the same scoreline this year
for the American protectorate. They were beaten 19-0 by China in
January in the Asian Cup qualifying tournament in Vietnam.
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