Mehrabian makes his mark, Iran starts strong in title defence

A hat-trick for Moslem Mehrabian has helped Iran to a 6-1 win over Malaysia, as the 2023 winners got off to a good start in Solo.

Amirhossein Ghorbani’s early strike set the tone, and from there, his side had no trouble. Mehrabian, Mehdi Dashtaki and Alireza Ahmadi Mogahadam all found the net before the break, showing why the team is highly fancied in Indonesia.

It was not a seamless Iranian victory, typified by their sole concession, as Adray Uzair controlled and fired home past the Iranian goalkeeper Aref Babaeian.

Mehrabian scored twice following that to complete his hat-trick, and was awarded the IFCPF Player of the Match for his efforts. Iran will face South Korea tomorrow, with Malaysia turning their attentions to Thailand.