Iran keeps clean slate to top group

The Asian side secured its 100 per cent record in the group with two first-half penalties. Captain Mohammad Ghobeishavi opened the scoring with his spot-kick on 25 minutes before Taha Sharaiati emulated his skipper with a penalty finish of his own four minutes later. Team Melli cruised through the second half before adding a third goal just before the final whistle through substitute Mohammad Sardari. 

The only disappointment for Iran at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was a second yellow card of the competition to Ghobeishavi that will rule him out of their Round of 16 match. 

Germany struggled to get the better of an energetic Guinean side in a Group C clash, but came away with a 3-1 victory that sends it through to the Round of 16. Jann-Fiete Arp was again the key figure in attack for the Germans, scoring the opener and then setting up the winner near the hour mark for Nicolas Kuehn. 

It finished second in Group C with six points and will meet Colombia on Monday in Delhi, while the Guineans were unfortunate to lose on the day but are eliminated at the opening hurdle.

Arp put the Europeans in front after just eight minutes when Dennis Jastrzembki won the ball in midfield and picked out the streaking Hamburg striker. It was his second goal of the tournament, but Guinea’s Ibrahima Soumah answered with his second in the event as well to equalise ahead of the halfhour mark. 

It was a very open match, and the two teams traded chances throughout the second half. The Africans went behind to a quick counter attack in which Arp set up Kuehn, but it might have equalised a handful of times before Sahverdi Cetin converted a penalty in second half injury time to put the match out of reach.