AFC Champions League Two:
Navidkia rues missed chances as Sepahan held by 10-man Ahal
Sepahan head coach Moharram Navidkia was frustrated with the number of chances by his players after the Iranian top-flight side was held to a 2-2 home draw against Ahal FC of Turkmenistan in Group C of the AFC Champions League Two in Isfahan on Tuesday.
Sepahan dominated from the start and took the lead in the ninth minute, as Arash Rezavand slotted home Arya Yousefi’s cutback from inside the box.
The visitors found an equalizer against the run of play in the 27th minute when Alibek Abdurahmanov intercepted a poor cross-field pass and surged forward before playing the ball to Suleyman Mirzoyev for an easy tap-in.
Ahal took a surprise lead through Bagtyyar Gurgenov’s header in the 62nd minute, but was reduced to 10 men three minutes later after Azat Rahmanov was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Despite the one-man advantage, Sepahan had to wait until the seventh minute of added time to find an equalizer, thanks to Mohammad Askari’s side-footed volley from Yousefi’s cross.
“The match became complicated for us just like the reverse fixture. We had decent chances to finish the game with more goals in our favor, but unfortunately, we made a couple of costly mistakes,” Navidkia said after the game.
“I think they had just two clear-cut chances“I think they had only two clear-cut chances – one of them gifted by our mistake – and converted both. Despite all our efforts and the numerous chances we created, we were unable to score, even when the opposition handed us opportunities with errors of their own,” added the Iranian, whose team is now second in the three-team Group C table with four points – two adrift of Jordanian champion Al Hussein.
“The only positive for me from this match was that the team fought until the final whistle to create chances. Overall, however, it was a disappointing night for us.
“Some might say the team played well, but that is of no consolation. In football, you have to win. Sometimes football produces strange results, and this was one of those bizarre nights,” Navidkia said.
“I apologize to our fans. The responsibility for this lies entirely with me, and perhaps I failed to prepare my team mentally and psychologically.
Ultimately, we dropped points in a very damaging way, and that is extremely difficult for me to accept.”
Sepahan will host Al Hussein at the Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium in its final group outing on November 25.