TEHRAN, Iran -- Ali Daei scored twice in the second half as Iran beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 Friday in a World Cup qualifier.

Daei scored on a penalty kick in the 55th minute after Australian referee Simon Micallef ruled that Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed al-Khojali brought down Alireza Vahedi Nikba in the penalty area. Television replays showed that al-Khojali did not make contact with Nikba.

Saudi defender Saleh al-Saqri was ejected three minutes later after getting his second yellow card, for a foul on key striker Ali Karimi. Daei scored again in the 65th minute.

Bahrain (1-0-1) leads Group A with four points, followed by Iraq (1-1) and Iran (1-0) with three each, Saudi Arabia (0-1-1) and Thailand (0-1). The top team qualifies for next year's World Cup and the second-place team advances to playoffs for another berth.