Associated Press

Seoul, March 30:

Javad Nekounam claimed a late goal to seal Iran’s 2-0 win over North Korea in Asian World Cup qualifying and dim the North’s hopes of making it its first World Cup appearance in four decades.

The game was marred in the final minutes when the entire North Korean team charged the referee in anger over his decision not to grant a penalty after Nam Seong Chol went down in the area, apparently pulled by an Iranian player.

In other Group B match, Japan defeated Bahrain 1-0, thanks to Mohamad Ahmed Salmeen’s own goal in the 72nd minute. In Seoul, Lee Dong-gook scored off a difficult pass to keep South Korea’s hopes alive with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan.