Asian football giants Iran trounced India 4-0 in a Group D 2018 World Cup pre-qualifer at Tehran on Thursday. Up against the highest ranked team in Asia, India were always facing a tough challenge. Iran scored on a penalty in the 33rd minute but thanks to goal-keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's brilliant saves, India managed to enter half-time only one goal down.

However, Iran upped the tempo soon after the break. Sardar Azmoun scored in the 61st minute and Ehsan Hajsafi scored his second of the night through another penalty five minutes later. Finally, Ali Jahanbaksh scored the fourth in the 78th minute. With this victory, Iran finish on top of the group while India remain on fifth position, ahead of their final game against Turkmenistan on Tuesday.