Sepahan defeat Al-Hussein to claim top spot in Group C
Sepahan earned an important 2–0 victory over Jordan’s Al-Hussein on Tuesday night, keeping their hopes of advancing as Group C leaders firmly alive.
In a first half dominated by Sepahan, the Iranian side launched repeated attacks on Al Hussein’s goal, but their efforts failed to break the deadlock. The half’s most controversial moment came when Sepahan appealed for a penalty following a challenge inside the area, but the referee judged the foul to have occurred outside the box, keeping the score 0–0 at halftime, IRNA wrote.
With statistics clearly in their favor, Sepahan entered the second half determined to convert their superiority into goals. Backed by their supporters — despite a lower-than-expected turnout — the Isfahan side finally broke through in the 73rd minute when Aria Yousefi’s powerful strike found the back of the net past goalkeeper Mahmoud Al Kawamleh.
Al Hussein responded by pushing the game into Sepahan’s half in search of an equalizer. However, deep into stoppage time, Sepahan extended their lead through Mohammad Askari, securing a decisive 2–0 triumph.
With this win, Sepahan reached seven points, overtaking Al Hussein at the top of Group C. The group leadership will ultimately depend on Al Hussein’s final match against Ahal; failure to secure the required result would send Sepahan into the AFC knockout stage as group winners.
The right-back of Sepahan Yousefi, who came on in the second half, showed an attacking mindset and had a direct impact on his team’s victory, earning him the title of the best player of the match.
Sepahan head coach Moharram Navidkia expressed both satisfaction and emotion after the match. “I want to sincerely thank the fans who were able to attend today. They supported us with all they had.”
“They were truly an excellent team, with a high standard of play worthy of Asia. Their style was attractive, and it was a match where fans could feel a goal coming at any moment.”
He added, “Fortunately, we took our chances in the second half and secured the result. It was a good performance, and I hope we continue this form in our next match.”
Al-Hussein head coach Joaquim Machado attributed his team’s loss to avoidable errors.
“We made individual mistakes that cost us the match,” he said. “It was a difficult game against a big team. Sepahan were better in the first half, but we also had chances and failed to convert them.”
Machado continued, “Our mistakes hurt us, but I believe a draw would have been a fair result. We still have one more match, and our goal remains to finish top of the group.”