AFC Champions League Elite:
Esteghlal boss Bozovic hails defensive resolve in Al Nassr draw
Esteghlal head coach Miodrag Bozovic praised his side’s solid defensive performance in the goalless stalemate against Saudi heavyweight Al Nassr at home in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Elite last-16 tie.
Despite missing Cristiano Ronaldo and Aymeric Laporte, Al Nassr dominated large spells in front of a packed crowd at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium and created several clear-cut chances, but Esteghlal captain and goalkeeper Seyyed Hossein Hosseini delivered a man-of-the-match performance to leave the tie finely balanced ahead of next week’s return leg at Riyadh’s Al-Awwal Park.
Colombian striker Jhon Duran went close to break the deadlock in the 20th minute but was denied from inside the box by Hosseini with Rouzbeh Cheshmi keeping out Aiman Yahyah’s follow-up with a crucial headed clearance.
A best chance for the visitors came right before the hour mark, when Duran’s lob in a one-on-one situation was tipped away by the Blues keeper.
Marcelo Brozovic created another chance two minutes later with a delightful through ball into the box for Duran, who beat Hosseini only to be denied by the right post from a tight angle.
“It was a tough match for us against a team with quality players individually,” said Bozovic, who was in charge of the Blues’ bench for only a second outing, following Thursday’s defeat against city rival Persepolis in the Iranian top flight.
“There were moments in the match when they played better or tried to get into scoring positions. There were also moments when we played better and had scoring chances.
“I think they were better than us, but the draw was a deserved result for both teams. I think we are happy with the way the players and the fans performed. I am happy that we did not give up the result and even tried to win. When our goalkeeper is the best player on the field, there is nothing left to say.”
Bozovic’s Italian opposite number Stefano Pioli, meanwhile, was frustrated with his side’s inability to convert its chances, saying: “Although I’m very happy with the performance of my players, we could have scored but we did not manage to do so. We know that we have a second leg and we will prepare for that match and see what happens.”
“We have played six games in a short period and Ronaldo also had a minor injury so we could not bring him to Iran.”
The former Milan boss however, remained positive and is focused on getting the job done when the teams meet again on March 11.
“We had more scoring opportunities than Esteghlal. I was happy with the performance of all my players. They played well and my team is not player-oriented. Our full focus is on the second leg and we will try to play our best game.
“Our team had six 100 percent scoring opportunities but we were unable to use them. Esteghlal also had some opportunities. However, we are preparing ourselves for the return match. It is true that we have not had good results in the past matches, but we will continue to try to have better results.”