Besides hitting the crossbar, India found Koudaei in unbeatable form as she denied them time and again, including pulling off a one-handed save when it looked like Dangmei Grace had broken the deadlock in the 77th minute.
The 32-year-old’s fine performance meant Iran marked its AFC Women's Asian Cup debut with a point and the shot-stopper promised of more to come in the matches against China and Chinese Taipei.
“It was a good match,” said Koudaei after the hard-earned result. “I think we performed well (given the lack of match practice) and everyone in the team worked hard to get the result.
“It’s our first time playing here at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. However, we will work hard to improve our performance and be better in the remaining games.”
India was the better side with its passing, speed and technical ability but the South Asian team was left frustrated trying to break down a resilient Iran.
Koudaei praised India, who held the upperhand throughout the 90 minutes at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. “Congratulations to the Indian team, they played well and made it difficult for us. However, it is a pity that we didn’t score a goal.
“Maybe it’s the stress of playing our first game. We will be better in the next match against China and will fight till the end to win the game,” Koudaei stated.