China regained its title of Asian champions yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, defeating Iran in the final of the IBSA Blind Football Asian Championships 2017.

Two first half goals from China – No 3 Meng Liu and No 6 Jiabin Zhang scored from free kicks – were enough for China to win its fifth Asian championships and regain the title from Iran.

Click on the picture or caption to watch the full match.

Caption: screenshot showing the final score in the final. Click to watch the full match.

In the 3rd-4th place play-off, Thailand claimed its first ever medals in Asian Championships and showed it is becoming a force to be reckoned with in Asian blind football by beating South Korea 2-0. Two goals from Kittikorn Baodee did the damage for the Thais.

Caption: Thailand defeated South Korea to take third place. Click to watch the full match. 

Japan overcame hosts Malaysia 2-1 to finish the championships in fifth place.

China, Iran, Thailand and South Korea qualify for the IBSA Blind Football World Championships in Madrid, Spain, in June 2018.

The IBSA Blind Football Asian Championships KL 2017 were hosted by the Malaysian Blind Sports Association.

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IBSA Blind Football Asian Championships – history of the tournament

Year     Venue                                          Champions
2005     Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)                 Japan
2007     Seoul (South Korea)                     China
2009     Tokyo (Japan)                               China
2011     Sendai (Japan)                             China
2013     Beijing (China)                              China
2015     Tokyo (Japan)                               Iran
2017     Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)             China 

Caption: ​Poster for the IBSA Blind Football Asian Championships KL 2017.