KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 11--Ali Karimi, the AFC Player of the Year 2004, here Friday said Iran has not faced a tough task for qualifying for the 2006 Germany World Cup, IRNA said.
The gifted Iranian striker told IRNA the country was drawn in a relative good group.
Iran, Japan, Bahrain, and North Korea were placed in Group B in the final stage of World Cup qualifiers while South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait were drawn for Group A.
The UAE's Al Ahly player added Iran will not underestimate the rivals and do its best to win a ticket to Germany as the group leader or at least the second best team.
Karimi said Iran has quality players and capacity to book a berth in the World Cup finals automatically.
He was elected as AFC Player of the Year 2004 at the Palace of Golden Horses hotel in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, Wednesday.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec, 11-- Sachin Tendulkar hammered a world record-equalling 34th Test century to put India in a commanding position on the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh here on Saturday, AFP said.
He equaled compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's world mark in his 119th Test with a single to mid-on off paceman Tapash Baisya in the afternoon session. He also achieved a rare feat of scoring a century against each Test-playing nation.
He put on 164 for the fourth wicket with skipper Sourav Ganguly (71) as India reached 232-4 at tea in reply to Bangladesh's modest first-innings total of 184.
Tendulkar was greeted by Gavaskar, who is here as a TV commentator, at the boundary while returning to the pavilion for the tea-break.
Tendulkar, however, skipped a few heart-beats before reaching the landmark as he was let off twice during his 177-ball knock, which contained 16 fours.
He rarely looked convincing in early part of his innings as he was dropped on 28 by skipper Habibul Bashar at first slip off fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza.
He got another 'life' on 47, this time Rajin Saleh failing to hold on to a catch at silly-point off left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique.
Bangladesh paid heavily for these lapses as Tendulkar and Ganguly put their team in a strong position with aggressive knocks on a flat wicket.
Test minnows Bangladesh gave India a scare or two with their tight pace bowling in the morning session before being punished by Tendulkar and Ganguly.
The visitors struggled against pace as Baisya and Mortaza troubled the Indian top order during their lively opening spells. Each grabbed an early wicket to reduce the visitors to 24-2 in less
than eight overs.
Baisya struck first when he trapped Virender Sehwag (13) leg-before before Mortaza produced a gem of a delivery to dismiss Rahul Dravid for no score.
Dravid made an error in judgement, shouldering arms to a delivery that nipped back to send his off-stump cartwheeling. Left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir looked solid during his 50-ball 35 before being run out following a mix-up with Tendulkar.

Atlanta Hawks center Predrag Drobnjak (14), of Serbia & Montenegro, grabs a rebound in front of Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace in the second half of their match, Friday, (AP Photo)

NEW YORK, Dec. 11--Tony Delk and Predrag Drobjnak both scored 16 points as the Atlanta Hawks stunned the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons 88-72 in National Basketball Association play Friday in Auburn Hills, Reuters said.
Atlanta (4-15) won for just the second time in 12 games and held the Pistons to their lowest point total in a home game in franchise history.
The Pistons (10-9) continued their inconsistent start to the season and trailed by as many as 29 points to the Hawks, who have one of the worst records in the NBA.
Detroit was without veterans Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace, both out with injuries, and couldn't generate much offense for most of the night while going with a young lineup.
Rookie Josh Smith had 12 points and four blocked shots for Atlanta, both career highs.
Richard Hamilton led all scorers with 24 points, but the Pistons trailed 56-38 at the half and never recovered.
In other NBA games played Friday, Kevin Garnett had a season-high 35 points along with 18 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-105 win over the Sacramento Kings in Minneapolis.
In Washington, Brendan Haywood's 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left gave the Wizards a 106-104 win over the New York Knicks.
In Toronto, Carmelo Anthony had 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Raptors 101-87.
In East Rutherford, Jason Kidd hit the game-winning basket in overtime as the New Jersey Nets edged the reeling New Orleans Hornets 94-91.
In Miami, Dwyane Wade had 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Heat beat the Memphis Grizzlies 92-84.
In Chicago, Allen Iverson had 22 points and 10 assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 93-88 win over the Bulls.
In Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 21 points as the Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86.
In Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire had 36 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists as the Suns beat the Charlotte Bobcats 115-106.
In Oakland, Steve Francis had 36 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Orlando Magic beat the Golden State Warriors 113-109.
In Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Utah Jazz edged the Portland Trail Blazers 92-87 in overtime.

Tiger Woods tees off on the 11th hole during the second round of the sixth annual Target World Challenge Golf Tournament at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, USA, Friday. (Reuters Photo)

THOUSAND OAKS, USA, Dec. 11--Tiger Woods carded a five-under 66 to share the lead with Scotland's Colin Montgomerie at the 5.25 million dollar World Challenge golf tournament here on Friday, AFP said.
The 28-year-old Woods posted six birdies and one bogey in pursuit of the 1.2 million dollar first prize.
He was disappointed he played the four par-five holes at just one-under.
There will be four rounds of medal play with no cut at the 6,988-yard Sherwood Country Club course.
Like Woods, the tournament's host since its inception in 1999, Montgomerie carded a 66 Friday for a 36-hole total of nine-under 133.
Montgomerie registered seven birdies--five on the front nine--with bogeys at Nos. 11 and 18.
"The back nine is more tricky, but at the same time I feel the back nine you can score on as well," Montgomerie said.
"The front nine, people tend to be scoring better on, and I feel that there's some good holes out there on the front nine still."
Montgomerie and Woods were the last group of the day.
"It is different to play with Tiger," Montgomerie said. "I've just got to concentrate on my own game, that's all you do.
"I'm not going to beat Tiger. I'm not going to outdrive him, I'm not going to hit better iron shots and I'm not going to chip the ball better and I'm not going to putt better.
"The only way I'm going to beat Tiger is by scoring well."
Woods and Montgomerie are two shots clear of Americans Jim Furyk (68) and Jay Haas (66) atop the 16-man field, while Chris DiMarco (67) and Davis Love (66) are three shots behind the leaders.
Vijay Singh, who ended Woods' five-year reign as the world's top-ranked player two months ago, shot 69 but is 10 shots back at one-over.
The PGA Tour's Player of the Year after winning an astounding nine events and a record 10 million dollars in 2004, Singh is tied with Canada's Stephen Ames (69) for 15th place, while American Kenny Perry (73) is last at four-over.

German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher (l) holding his FIA Formula One World Championship trophy, with French driver Sebastien Loeb holding his FIA World Rally Championship trophy, pose for photographers during the 2004 FIA Awards Gala in Monaco, Friday. (Reuters Photo)

DOHA, Qatar, Dec. 11--Qatar came back twice from behind to hold the UAE 2-2 in the first match of the 17th Persian Gulf Cup tournament which opened to a packed house at the newly-built Al-Sadd Stadium on Friday, AFP said.
Qatar looked well on their way to a 2-0 defeat in the Group A match when they hit back late to pull off a thrilling draw in front of 20,000 fans.
Walid Jassim curled in a free kick from the edge of the box in the 90th minute and Wissam Rizk slotted Qatar's second goal three minutes into stoppage time after the Emirati defense failed to clear another free kick.
The UAE struck first in the 41st minute when Subait Khater made no mistake with the penalty after Ibrahim Ghanim brought down Ismail Matar and Spanish referee Luiz Medina pointed to the spot.
Matar himself scored UAEs second goal making the most of a defensive lapse by Abdulla Obaid to easily beat Qatars goalkeeper Aamer al-Kaabi.
Earlier a colorful ceremony marked the opening ceremony with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani declaring the tournament open.

VIENNA, Australia, Dec. 11--Germany's Thomas Rupprath celebrated the second day of the European shortcourse championships here Friday by setting a new world shortcourse record almost six years to the day last enjoyed setting it, AFP said.
Rupprath set a new world shortcourse record for the 50 meters backstroke in a winning time of 23.27sec. Vyacheslav Shyrshov of the Ukraine was second in 24.50 with German Helge Folker Meeuw third in 24.52.
Six years ago in Sheffield, England, Rupprath was almost a second slower when he set a time of 24.13. Australian Matt Welsh last held the record, in a time of 23.31, which he set in Melbourne on September 2, 2002.
Rupprath completed his day's success by also winning the men's 100m butterfly in 50.67, although this time he was pushed harder for the win by Russian Nikolay Skovortsov, second in 50.92.
Romanian Ioan Gherghel came third in 52.26. Rupprath's feat nevertheless was tinged with bitterness.
In December 2002 he missed out on claiming a new world record when the sport's world ruling body FINA, inexplicably, did not rubber stamp a time of 23.23 from a meeting in Goslar, Germany.
"I don't consider this world record as my best time but at least it's official," said the experienced German after Friday's double.
Earlier Hungarian Laszlo Cseh improved on his own European shortcourse record for the 400 metres medley in a time of 4min 3.96sec.
Cseh's previous record of 4:04.10, set on December 12, 2003 in Dublin, had broke Dutchman Marcel Wouda's five-year record reign after he set a time of 4:05.41 in February 1997 in Paris.
In the women's races France's Malia Metella stole some of the limelight left behind in the absence of fellow compatriot and 400 meters Olympic champion Laure Manaudou by winning the 100 meters freestyle final in a time of 53:37sec.
Metella, who took Olympic silver in Athens in the women's 50m, defended the title she won in Dublin last year after a furious fightback in the last 25 meters to hold off Dutchwoman Marleen Veldhuis and Josefin Lillhage of Sweden, who came third.

LISBON, Portugal, Dec. 11--Real Madrid's Portuguese star Luis Figo said Friday the Spanish giants are getting back on track after a slow start to their campaign this season, AFP said.
"At this moment the team has been getting better and I think the tendency is for this to continue," he said in an interview with state television RTP.
"Last year we started well, we had eight fantastic months and then when it was decision time things did not go as well as they could. I think it is better to start slowly and end well," he added.
Real, one of the richest clubs in the world, ended last season with a record run of five straight league defeats, and the team has been in inconsistent form at best this campaign.
Figo scored twice Wedensday as Real Madrid booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 3-0 win over AS Roma in their final Group B match.
The Galacticos are in second place in the league but trail nine points behind arch-rivals Barcelona, the only other Spanish side left in the Champions League.
"We started this year with a change in coach which is also not beneficial to any team," Figo added. "It takes time for a team to find what it is that a new coach expects."
In May, Real president Florentino Perez sacked Portugal's Carlos Queiroz as coach, accusing him of lacking sufficient authority. He had been at the club for just under one year.
Real replaced the former assistant coach of Manchester United with former Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho.

SALVO, USA, Dec. 11--Former world indoor 200 meters champion Michelle Collins was suspended for eight years on Friday after being found guilty of doping charges in connection with the BALCO scandal, Reuters said.
Collins, 33, is the first athlete in the BALCO case to be suspended without a positive doping test or an admission of drug use.
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said a hearing panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) banned her after ruling that "USADA has proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Collins took EPO (erythropoietin), the testosterone/epitestosterone cream, and THG (tetrahydrogestrinone)."
Collins's suspension takes effect immediately. She forfeits all competitive results and winnings since February 1, 2002, the beginning of her violation, including her 200 meters world and US indoor titles in 2003.
USADA added in a statement that Collins had "used these substances to enhance her performance" and elude the drug testers.
It said the panel found that Collins' "participation in the BALCO conspiracy amounted to a cover up and because her doping took place over an extended period it is appropriate to double the four years received by other BALCO athletes".
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) scandal erupted last year after Trevor Graham, ex-coach of world 100 meters record holder Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, sent a syringe containing the previously undetectable designer steroid THG to USADA.

LONDON, Dec. 11--FIFA is backing the IOC in its efforts to prevent the sudden death of athletes due to heart failure during competition, world soccer's governing body said, Reuters reported.
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) adopted on Friday the so-called "Lausanne Recommendations", a report on sudden cardiovascular death in sport and ways of preventing it.
"FIFA fully endorses these recommendations," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a statement issued by the body.
"We have seen far too many tragic incidents of sudden death in football due to heart problems and we hope these preventive measures will help put an end to this."
There have been two recent cases of footballers collapsing on the pitch and dying, one in Brazil and another involving a Brazilian player in India.
A meeting was held at the IOC's Lausanne headquarters under the umbrella of the IOC medical commission to seek a consensus on measures to prevent sudden death while practising sport.