The 1972 AFC Asian Cup was the 5th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), that was hosted in Thailand. The finals were held in Thailand between 7 May and 19 May 1972. It was won by Iran.[1][2][3]
| Asian Cup Thailand 1972 เอเชียนคัพ 2515 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Thailand |
| Dates | 7–19 May |
| Teams | 6 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iran (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  South Korea |
| Third place |  Thailand |
| Fourth place |  Khmer Republic |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 38 (2.92 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Hossein Kalani (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Ebrahim Ashtiani |
← 1968 1976 → | |
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand |
Hosts* and Central Zone winners | 30 May 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Iran |
1968 AFC Asian Cup champions | 19 May 1968 | 1 (1968) |
| Khmer Republic |
Central Zone runners-up | 30 May 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| South Korea |
Eastern zone winners (automatically qualified) | 1971 | 3 (1956, 1960, 1964) |
 Iraq |
Western Zone winners | 22 December 1971 | 0 (debut) |
 Kuwait |
Western Zone runners-up | 21 December 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Bangkok | |
|---|---|
| National Stadium | |
| Capacity: 26,000 | |
|
| South Korea | 0–0 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
Cha Bum-Kun  Hwang Jae-Man Park Su-Deok  |
2–4 | Aziz Nouri Kadhim Fathi |
Attendance: 2,000
| Iran | 2–0 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
Kalani  45'Iranpak 51' |
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Kim Jo-Wong (South Korea)
| Thailand | 0–2 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Jawad Khalaf 42' Fayez Marzouq 87' |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Thailand (H)
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Iraq
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| Iran | 3–0 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| Kalani 34', 70', 78' |
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Sivapalan Kathiravale (Malaysia)
| Thailand | 1–1 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| Supakit Meelarpkit 57' |
Yousif 6' |
| Thailand | 2–3 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Prapon Tantariyanond 69', 70' |
Jabbari 80', 86', 88' |
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Matolzi (Malaysia)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 2 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Khmer Republic
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 2 | |
| 3 | Kuwait
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 2 |
| South Korea | 4–1 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Park Su-deok 37' Lee Hoi-taek 59'Cha Bum-kun 69'Park Lee-chun 78' |
Doeur Sokhom 82' |
| South Korea | 1–2 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Park Lee-chun 2' (pen.) |
Mohammad Sultan 25' Ibrahim Duraiham 73' |
| Khmer Republic | 4–0 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Doeur Sokhom 23' Sok Sun Hean 56'Tes Sean 59'Sea Cheng Eang 80' |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||
| ||||||
| 16 May–Bangkok | |||||
| ||||||
| Iran | 2 | ||||
| 19 May–Bangkok | |||||
| Khmer Republic | 1 | ||||
| Iran (a.e.t.) | 2 | ||||
| 17 May–Bangkok | |||||
| South Korea | 1 | ||||
| South Korea (pen.) | 1 (2) | ||||
| ||||||
| Thailand | 1 (1) | ||||
| Third place | |||||
| ||||||
| 19 May–Bangkok | |||||
| ||||||
| Khmer Republic | 2 (3) | ||||
| ||||||
| Thailand (pen.) | 2 (5) | ||||
| Iran | 2–1 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Iranpak 13' Ghelichkhani 47' |
Doeur Sokhom 18' |
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Matolozi (Malaysia)
| South Korea | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Park Lee-chun 115' |
Prapon Tantariyanond 98' |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 2–1 | ||
| Khmer Republic | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Tol Kimchi 44', 49' |
Ich Narding 6', 90+13' |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–5 | ||
| Iran | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Jabbari 48' Kalani 108' |
Park Lee-chun 65' |
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Sivapalan Kathiravale (Malaysia)
Doeur Sokhom Prapon Tantariyanond Safar Iranpak Ich Narding Tol Kimchi Ammo Yousif Sea Cheng Eang Sok Sun Hean Tes Sean Fayez Marzouq Ibrahim Duraiham Jawad Khalaf Mohammad Sultan Cha Bum-Kun Lee Hoi-Taek Park Su-Deok Supakit Meelarpkit
