Iran’s World Cup hopes were in jeopardy after conceding a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw in its final group qualifying match at South Korea on Wednesday. An own goal early in the second half put Iran up 1-0 and on course for at least a further qualifying playoff, but Park ji-sung’s 81st-minute strike left Iran depending on North Korea winning away at Saudi Arabia in Wednesday’s later qualifier. If that match at Riyadh is drawn, Iran is eliminated. A North Korea win would give Iran third spot in Group B, and a further two-legged playoff against the third team from Group A — either Bahrain or Uzbekistan depending on the result of their Wednesday qualifier.
