Iran throw Pakistan out of Kabaddi Masters

KARACHI: Pakistan were beaten 40-21 by Iran in the first semi-final of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 at the Al Wasl Sports Complex in Dubai on Friday.

Going into the pre-final as Group B winners, Iran showed their class, dominating the match against the young-blooded Pakistan right from the start. Iran, who have produced some solid results in international circuit over the years, sealed a superb win to qualify for the six-nation event final.

The Iranians, led by Nabibakhsh’s agile raiding and Mohammad Maghsoudlou’s smart raiding decimated the listless Pakistan outfit, which seemed out of sorts in the absence of regular skipper Nasir Ali, who missed the match because of an injury.

Mohammad Malak enjoyed an outstanding game from the left corner and made matters worse for the Pakistan raiders, who failed to find their feet throughout the contest. Pakistan’s performance in the event was disappointing as they lost their both group matches against India. They made it to the semi-finals only because they had Kenya, newcomers in the sport, in their group.