In their second group stage encounter on Wednesday morning, female futsal players of Iran suffered a 2-0 defeat in the face of Thailand.
Persian athletes had previously pulled out a 16-1 victory over Palestine in their opening match.
Accordingly, in view of one victory and one loss, Iran will advance to the semifinal round of the tournament as the second top team in Group B and is likely to face rivals from Japan who is seeking a fourth consecutive women's futsal gold medal.
The men’s and women’s futsal events at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games are being held over 10 days at the state-of-the-art Multifunctional Sport Venue, just outside the Ashgabat Olympic Complex.
In the women's tournament, nine teams have been split into three groups of three.
Group A includes hosts Turkmenistan, Thailand and Palestine, while Iran, Hong Kong and Indonesia make up Group B. Group C consists of Japan, China and Vietnam.
The women's final is scheduled for September 25, with the men's gold medal match due to be held the following day.
The Iranian squad, comprising 214 sportswomen and sportsmen, are also attending the games in Ashgabat attended by 49 Asian countries and 24 teams from Pacific region.
In the previous edition of the competition which was held in South Korea last year, the 82-member Iranian squad ranked sixth and managed to snatch three gold, six silver and two bronze medals.
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