TEHRAN – Iran national football team defeated Hong Kong 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 on Tuesday.

The win gave Team Melli the opening three points of their bid to qualify for the World Cup while Hong Kong have one point after two matchdays.

Sardar Azmoun opened the scoring for Marc Wilmots’s team in the 23rd minute with a low volley into the bottom corner and Karim Ansarifard extended the lead nine minutes into the second half.

“We played a good football and started our campaign with three points. We have become a better team in term of attacking football but we need to improve in defense,” Iran coach Marc Wilmots said.

Team Melli will host Cambodia on Oct. 10 in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium in their next match.

Iran have been drawn in Group C alongside Iraq, Bahrain, Cambodia and Hong Kong.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The next best 24 teams from the second round of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining 12 slots in the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023.