New international records in one game - The latest first-half goal & 29 minutes of added time?!

The clash between Iran and the United Arab Emirates in prospect did not draw much attention, apart from being the duel between two contenders for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Still, this match will go down in history!

Samurai katana didn't fail - the first World Cup ticket is booked

Namely, around a quarter of an hour into the game, one of the floodlights at Azadi Stadium in Tehran stopped working, causing a long break. Consequently, the referee Ko Hyung-Jin from South Korea prolonged the first period for 29 minutes (?!), which is officially the longest-ever added time in international football!

In addition, Iran's Sardar Azmoun exploited these "odd" conditions to the fullest, scoring a deadlock-breaker in the 27th minute of stoppage time, which is probably the latest first-half goal ever! In the end, Iran triumphed 2-0, as Mohammad Mohebi netted the second goal for the home team 20 minutes before the end. The second-half added time was "only" seven minutes.

So, the next time you get bored because of an international break, remember moments like this one or Mozambique's corner-kick goal, and you'll realize that international football sometimes has much to offer as well.

2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - ASIA

Round 7

Thursday

Australia - Indonesia 5-1 (3-0)

/Boyle 18 pen, Velupillay 20, Irvine 34, 90, Miller 61 - Haar Romeny 78/

Japan - Bahrein 2-0 (0-0)

/Kamada 66, Kubo 87/

S.Korea - Oman 1-1 (1-0)

/Hwang Hee-Chan 41 - Al Busaidi 80/

Iran - UAE 2-0 (1-0)

/Azmoun 45+27, Mohebi 70/

Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan 1-0 (1-0)

/Alizhonov 40

Iraq - Kuwait 0-0 IN PROGRESS

Jordan - Palestine 2-0 IN PROGRESS

Qatar - N.Korea 0-0 IN PROGRESS

Saudi Arabia - China 0-0 IN PROGRESS