AFC Champions League Elite:
Garrido rues missed chances as Persepolis undone by Al Sadd
Persepolis head coach Juan Carlos Garrido was left ruing his team’s wasted opportunities after the Tehran Reds fell to a 1-0 away loss to Al Sadd at the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.
A similar scenario unfolded for Garrido’s men in Doha’s Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium as in their opening-day setback at Al Ahli Saudi, where Persepolis also dominated for the best part of game and created numerous chances but ultimately left the pitch empty-handed.
Portuguese striker Lucas Joao, Masoud Rigi, Ali Alipour, Farshad Ahmadzadeh, and Issa Alekasir all came close to finding the net and Omid A’alishah’s effort went out off the bar deep into stoppage time to sum up a frustrating night for the Reds as Mateus Uribe’s first-half strike proved enough to seal the three points for the home side.
“It is unfortunate that we lost and I do not know how we lost today, we did everything in football,” Garrido said after the game.
“We played well but then conceded a goal and even though we produced a high-quality display in the second half, we still wasted the opportunities we created.
“We know that Al Sadd are a very good team but we controlled most of the match, we were the better team and could have scored even at the last moment,” added the Spaniard, who is now without a win in nine outings in the Asian elite clubs’ competition with Persepolis and Al Ain.
Monday’s result also extended Persepolis’s winless run in the Asian Champions League to six matches, leaving the Reds third from bottom in the West Zone’s 12-team table with a single point.
Garrido’s men will have no room for further error when they are back in the Asian action in a fortnight against Qatari club Al Gharafa in Dubai, with Al Rayyan and Iraqi champion Al Shorta also coming the Reds way before the two highly-anticipated matchups against Saudi giants Al Hilal and Al Nassr
Meanwhile, Garrido’s counterpart and opposite number on Al Sadd bench Felix Sanchez was thrilled to see his team remain on track for a place in the round of 16.
“I congratulate the players on winning a very difficult match against Persepolis, we got very important points and I congratulate the players and the fans on the win,” said Sanchez.
“Persepolis played their way and lost, and we played our way and won, and we deserved to win the match.
“Winning two matches and drawing one indicates that we are on the right track towards qualification and this is the most important thing for us at the moment,” added the ex-head coach of the Qatari national team.
The top eight teams of each of the West and East tables will progress to the knockout stage.