AFC Champions League:
Rahmati relishes in ‘memorable’ debut for Nassaji; Morais rues dropped points
Nassaji Mazandaran boss Seyyed Mehdi Rahmati was thrilled to see his men leave India with a “memorable” victory on their Asian Champions League debut – a 2-0 win against Mumbai City in Group D.
Sepahan manager Jose Morais, meanwhile, was left regretting after his side conceded a late equalizer to share the spoils with Iraq’s Air Force Club in a 2-2 draw in their Group C opener in Erbil.
In Pune’s Balewadi Stadium, Ehsan Hosseini bagged a maiden goal for the northern Iranian side at the Asian elite clubs competition, finding the net with a cool finish in the 34th minute.
Mohammadreza Azadi tapped in a second goal in the 62nd minute to secure maximum points for the 2022 Iranian Hazfi Cup champion.
“Today is a historic and memorable day for Nassaji club. Our players put all their strength and energy for the pride and success of this team and fans,” Rahmati said afterwards.
“This was Nassaji’s first game in the AFC Champions League; I thank God and thank my players for making our people and fans happy and getting the first three points in our history in the competition,” added the former Esteghlal and Sepahan goalkeeper.
Rahmati, whose team took a surprise lead in the group – also featuring Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal and Uzbekistan’s Navbahor – on Matchday 1, still said his team would not be carried away by the victory.
“We can be happy until tomorrow when we return to Iran and then we have to focus on the next games again,” said the Iranian, adding: “From today, opponents will have a different level of respect for us.”
Nassaji will next square off against four-time Asian champion Al Hilal at the Azadi Stadium on October 3.
Al Hilal was held to a 1-1 home draw by Navbahor in Riyadh.
Georgian striker Toma Tabatadze netted 10 minutes after the break to silence the crowd at the King Fahd International Stadium, though Navbahor was left heartbroken after Saudi center-back Ali al-Bulayhi headed home in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
Pitiful draw
Having enjoyed a perfect start to the Iranian top-flight season, Sepahan was stunned with 26 minutes into the game at the Franso Hariri Stadium, when Ali Jasim’s strike from inside the box took a deflection off Mohammad Daneshgar and went past Iranian international keeper Payam Niazmand.
It took the Iranian giant four minutes to get back in level terms, courtesy of Daneshgar smashing home from close range.
Holding midfielder Mohammad Qorbani was an unlikely scorer for Sepahan, giving the visiting side the lead with a composed finish in the 67th minute but Jasim’s effort from an acute angle with one minute from normal time shared the points.
“I did not expect this from the match beforehand. Air Force Club is a good team and had good players,” Morais said after the game.
“We were ready for the match, but because they hadn’t played in the league yet, we didn’t know much about them, but they knew a lot about our team because we had played a few matches,” added the Portuguese.
“In my opinion, we should have managed the difficult situations we faced better, but the players gave their best.
“We were able to control the game most of the time. It’s a pity that we conceded a goal, even though we were in control.”
Next for Sepahan is a home game against Saudi side Al Ittihad at Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium on October 2.
Despite being without injured striker Karim Benzema, Al Ittihad cruised to a 3-0 home win against Uzbekistan’s AGMK, thanks to a Haroune Camara’s opener followed by a Brazilian Romarinho’s brace.