AFC Champions League Elite:
Skocic pleased as 10-man Tractor holds on for a point at Shabab Al Ahli
Tractor head coach Dragan Skocic praised his team’s resilience after the Iranian top-flight champion played secured a 1-1 draw against Shabab Al Ahli in Dubai despite playing with 10 men for the best part of the second half in their AFC Champions League Elite opener on Tuesday.
Croatian striker Tomislav Strkalj gave Tractor the lead when his spectacular 25-yard strike went past rooted goalkeeper Hamad Almeqbaali with 14 minutes into the game.
Tractor went down to 10 men six minutes after the break as a VAR decision saw Domagoj Drozdek’s yellow card upgraded to red for a reckless challenge on the home side’s Iranian midfielder Saeid Ezzatolahi.
Shabab Al Ahli capitalized on the one-man advantage 14 minutes later.
Back between the posts after his four-month ban was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week, Alireza Beiranvand kept out a Yuri Cesar’s effort from outside the box, only to see Guilherme Bala slot home on the rebound for the equalizer.
The home side desperately pushed for a second goal in the closing stages, with Cesar hitting the bar in the 79th minute before Iranian substitute Reza Ghandipour saw his two attempts saved by Beiranvand soon after.
“I congratulate my players for their good performance against a strong opponent. The weather conditions were very difficult. This caused the players to have problems during the match. Playing in such weather conditions is not easy and the red card made it even harder,” Skocic said the game
“In the first half we controlled the game and created good chances on the counter-attacks but we didn’t take them. After that, we received a red card which made it more difficult. However, my players fought and made me proud,” added the Croatian.
Meanwhile, Skocic’s opposite number Paulo Sousa had mixed feelings about the final outcome at the Al Rashid Stadium.
“We faced difficulties in the first half due to the weather conditions, but overall, we controlled much of the game. We corrected ourselves at halftime and created several opportunities in the second half. I congratulate my players for a strong performance,” said Sousa.
“However, we are not satisfied and share the disappointment with our fans. We deserved a better result, without a doubt. The players made the right decisions on the pitch and created many chances. They are the same players who achieved great success last season, and they remain highly motivated. We just need to work harder to turn our opportunities into goals,” added the Portuguese.
Tractor will be back in Asian action in two weeks, taking on another Emirati test in Al Wahda at Tabriz’s Yadegar-e Imam Stadium.
Sepahan woes continues
Meanwhile, Sepahan’s winless start to the new season continued on Tuesday, as the Persian Gulf Pro League outfit suffered a 1-0 loss to Jordan’s Al Hussein in their Group C opener in the AFC Champions League Two at the Amman International Stadium.
A clever piece of play saw Al Hussein break the deadlock in the 28th minute, as Aref Haitham’s reverse pass sent Mahmoud Khrouba through on goal before Jordanian striker’s effort went in through goalkeeper Mohammadreza Akhbari’s legs.
This was yet another setback for Sepahan head coach Moharram Navidkia and his team, which fell to a defeat to Al Duhail in the Asian elite clubs competition’s qualifying playoffs and sits 12th in the Iranian top-flight table with two points from three games.