TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran national soccer goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand says they are ready to end the Iran's 43-year title drought in the AFC Asian Cup, Tehran Times daily reported on Saturday.
The last of Iran's three triumphs in the AFC Asian Cup was in 1976, meaning that it will be 43 years since they last won the title by the time the action in the UAE 2019 kicks off next January.
Beiranvand was a standout in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The goalkeeper starred as Iran came close to getting out of a difficult group containing Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
He put himself on the global stage in Russia after saving Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty.
"We will participate in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup to win the title. It's time to win the trophy after 43 years. The players are highly motivated as they know they can win and there is no way but to claim the title," Beiranvand said.
"In the previous edition in Australia, we lost to Iraq in penalty shootout but we've learned from our mistakes and will do our best to meet high expectations," Beiranvand added.
Iran have been drawn along with Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen in the tournament's Group D.
