AFC Champions League: Reds rue missed opportunity; Sepahan staves off late Air Force scare
The penultimate round of the group stage at the AFC Champions League saw Persepolis share the points with Al Nassr in a goalless stalemate in Riyadh.
Sepahan, meanwhile, held off a late pressure from Iraq’s Air Force Club, despite going down to nine men, to claim a massive 1-0 victory at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Reds regret
Perhaps Persepolis players would have been more than satisfied with a fourth draw in a five-game winless streak prior to the kickoff against their formidable host, which stepped onto the pitch at Al Awwal Park on the back of a 19-game unbeaten run.
However, the Tehran Reds were eventually left ruing the chance to walk away with maximum points after Al Nassr was reduced to 10 men with 17 minutes into the contest, when Saudi center-back Ali Lajami was sent off for a harsh tackle on Reds midfielder Milad Sarlak, who was on the receiving end of a red card in the reverse fixture in September.
Yahya Golmohammadi’s men delivered a brave performance throughout the 90 minutes but failed to capitalize on long spells of the ball possession and find a way through Al Nassr backline, despite testing goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi on a couple of occasions.
Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was kept at bay for the best part of the game but had the opportunity to break the duck in a third head-to-head with Iranian international keeper Alireza Beiranvand in the second half, only to see his low drive from the edge of the box go just wide.
The Portuguese was substituted late in the game after suffering a neck injury earlier in the second period, but his performance will be remembered by the sportsmanship he showed in the early stages of the contest.
Chinese referee Ma Ning pointed to spot when Ronaldo appeared to have been brought down in the box by Soroush Rafiei in the second minute, before the 38-year-old approached the ref, wagging his finger, to tell him that it was ‘no penalty.’
The official still had to review the incident on the pitch-side VAR monitor to be convinced to overturn his decision.
Persepolis boss Golmohammadi was frustrated with his side’s lack of penetration afterwards, saying: “We were able to create opportunities but we had problems with the final pass and the buildup play when going forward.”
“We played against a really professional and strong team. Any team playing against Al Nassr will face problems even if they have 10 players,” added Golmohammadi.
The result secured a place in the last-16 round for the Saudi club as the Group E winner with 13 points, while second-placed Persepolis – on eight points – will be looking to beat Qatari champion Al Duhail at the Azadi Stadium next week to qualify as one of the three best runners-up across the five West Zone groups.
“A draw at Al Nassr’s stadium is valuable. We have to prepare ourselves for Al Duhail. We have only one way to progress and that is by winning,” said Golmohammadi, who steered the Reds to the final showpiece of the Asian elite clubs competition in 2020.
Sepahan avoids setback
When Farshad Ahmadzadeh gave Sepahan a fourth-minute lead at the Azadi Stadium, it looked to be an easy afternoon for the Isfahan-based club, but the following incidents forced Jose Morais’s men to make a hard work of the much-needed victory.
Iranian prodigy Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad was shown a straight red right before the interval after a late challenge on Mustafa Saadoun.
Sepahan defender Hadi Mohammadi also received his marching orders in the 90th minute due to a physical altercation with Shareef Abdulkadhim but the Iranian team managed to hold out against Air Force’s desperate push for an equalizer during an edgy 10 minutes of stoppage time to move three points clear of the Iraqi side in Group C.
“Congratulations to my players and the team because it was not an easy game. The players performed with quality. Their focus was on the field,” Portuguese Morais said.
“When you run with one less player, it becomes difficult, and when you run with two less players, it becomes more difficult. The players knew how to focus and what to do. I am grateful to the players for their concentration, calmness and good knowledge, and in the end they got their reward which was winning the game,” added the Portuguese.
The victory means Sepahan – now on 10 points – is in pole position to progress as of one of the three runners-up, though Morais and his men will even fancy their chances of winning the group next week, when playing away to Al Ittihad.
The Saudi club defeated Uzbekistan’s AGMK 2-1, thanks to Moroccan Abderrazak Hamdallah’s first-half brace, to stay atop the table with 12 points.
“Today’s game is over. Ittihad is another game and another team. They have an advantage over us and we need to organize, analyze and be able to give our best.
“If we give our best and that’s enough, I’m happy. If it is not enough, I am still happy.”