Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018: Why Iran's Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou Mahalli was shown a green card

In what was the most enthralling match of the tournament so far, Iran staged a brilliant come-from-behind win against South Korea and made their way into the semifinals of the inaugural edition of the Kabaddi Masters being held in Dubai.

Korea, led by Jang Kun Lee, were at one point enjoying a healthy lead with the scores reading 14-5. However, Iran were able to turn things around towards the end of the first half. Once they gained the lead, they managed to see it through and beat Korea 31-27.

While the match itself was an exciting affair, a particular incident may have raised the curiosity of Kabaddi fans around the world. A couple of minutes into the second half, with Iran leading 19-17, Korea's Jang Kun Lee had gone in for the raid.

He managed to get a touch and was just inches away from the mid-line when Mohammad Nabibaksh stopped him emphatically with a diving tackle. The others soon gathered around and ensured that the Korean had nowhere to go.

However, after the play, it was seen that Iran's No. 10 Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsoudlou Mahalli was called over by the referee and was shown a green card.

"I don't know what happened. I don't know why he was shown the green card by the referee. Maybe, it was because he had stepped on the hand of the raider, but I don't know really," Iran's coach said after the match when asked about the incident.

Maghsoudlou had stepped on Lee's hand

According to the rule books, a green card is awarded as an initial warning for any violation of rules. Two green cards result in a red card which means 1 technical point is awarded to the opposition and the player is suspended for the rest of the match.

Maghsoudlou had indeed stepped on the outstretched right hand of Lee in a bid to stop him from crossing the line. It so appears that this was the reason why the green card was shown.