ⓒYONHAP News

South Korea's national football team defeated long-term rivals Iran 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, ending an eleven-year struggle against the Middle Eastern team.

Captain Son Heung-min scored the opener in the first half and Kim Young-gwon added another in the second half of the match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the penultimate round of the Asian World Cup qualifying campaign.

South Korea and Iran have already secured their tickets to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as the top two teams in Group A.

With the latest victory at home, Team Korea secured 23 points with seven wins and two draws and moved up to the top place in Group A.

The victory over Iran marks the first in eleven years since January 2011.

South Korea will wrap up the qualifiers with a match against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai on Tuesday.