DOHA - Iran football captain Javad Nekounam has dedicated the victory over Iraq in the 2011 Asian Cup to the survivors of the Sunday plane crash.

A total of 77 people were killed Sunday in the Boeing 727 plane crash near the city of Urmia in northwestern Iran.
Iran defeated defending champion Iraq 2-1 in their first game of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup on Tuesday.
“I dedicate our victory to the survivors of the plane crash. I express my deepest condolences to the families of those deceased in the crash,” Nekounam said.
Asked about the match, Nekounam said, “Iran did good in the first half, and in the second half we controlled the game. We could have won with more goals but we missed our chances.”
“Of course victory over Iraq doesn’t mean Iran has qualified for the knock out stage, and we have to focus on the upcoming matches against North Korea and the UAE,” he stated.
“To get three points today was very important so we concentrated very hard in this game to make sure that we got it,” said the Iranian skipper. “But it’s not the end of our mission as we still need to win the next two games to make sure that we qualify for the quarter-finals. “Even if we win the group, we are likely to play Australia or Korea Republic but it doesn’t matter who we play against because we will have to beat all of the best sides if we want to win this tournament.” Nekounam added