Iran coach Carlos Queiroz says it was Qatar's night on Tuesday evening as they held on for a goalless draw in their 2014 World Cup qualifier in Tehran.
Team Melli dominated the match, however Qatar defended resolutely and ultimately held out to claim another useful point on the road to Brazil 2014.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Queiroz rued his side's profligacy.
“As I expected it was a tough match, but it was a one-way match and the ball was always around Qatar’s goal. They had come to Tehran to defend and get a point. We did our best but could not score," he said. "I think our problem was profligacy. But it was very important that the players kept their focus for the whole 90 minutes.
"We didn’t let Qataris have any opportunities. They have good strikers but we controlled them and then had our attacks. After that header which Rahmati parried they did not have a single chance. I think luck was with Qatar, not with us.”
He added: “We did everything required to score, we attacked from left and right and had numerous crosses, but we did not have that cutting edge. We could have been better in front of goal. But they were defending with eight players and there were no spaces. Usually the side who wants to get a draw loses, but not this time.”
Queiroz was also left upset by Qatar goalkeeper Qasem Burhan for perceived time-wasting.
"Qatar’s goalkeeper constantly killed the time for lengthy periods. It was not the first time we saw these kinds of things. They did it in the previous matches too," he said. "The added time should have been 10 minutes, but however I do not want to interfere with the referee’s job."
Qatar boss Paulo Autuori hailed his players' personality for grinding out the draw.
"I knew before the game that we'd get a good result against Iran and the point we have taken from Tehran is due to my players' personality," he said.
Follow Ben Somerford on
Follow Goal.com Asia on and for the latest in Asian footballing news, features, and analysis
