AFC Champions League Elite:
Bakhtiarizadeh urges ‘flawless’ Blues to build on Al Sadd rout
Esteghlal head coach Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh called on his players to “build on the momentum” after the Tehran Blues produced a clinical performance to comprehensively defeat Al Sadd 3-0 on the opening day of the new AFC Champions League season in Basra, Iraq, on Monday.
In-form Albanian winger Jasir Asani again stole the show with a goal and an assist for the Persian Gulf Premier League outfit, with Saeid Saharkhizan and substitute Esmaeil Qolizadeh adding second-half strikes to wrap up the massive victory at the Basra International Stadium, which served as the Iranian side’s home venue for the day.
“I congratulate each and every one of Esteghlal’s extraordinary players. They were flawless today and made the fewest mistakes throughout the game.
“I also congratulate the passionate fans of the club. I am very happy that we were able to play well and defeat a great team. I hope we can build on this momentum in the upcoming games in the competition,” said the Iranian. Asani capitalized on a defensive error to fire Esteghlal ahead nine minutes into the contest, when a wayward pass by Claudinho gifted the ball to the Albanian, who rounded defender Boualem Khoukhi and lashed the ball beyond Qatari international keeper Meshaal Barsham. Saharkhizan doubled the scoreline two minutes after the break, latching on to a through ball from Asani before evading a tackle from Paulo Otavio to drill the ball through Barsham’s legs into the left corner.
Iran U23 midfielder Qolizadeh put the match beyond Al Sadd’s reach five minutes into stoppage time, slotting home Mohammadhossein Eslami’s low cross.
Despite enjoying 75 percent of possession, the Qatari heavyweight barely created clear-cut chances against a well-organized Blues backline and even had Barsham to thank for pulling off a couple of superb saves to avoid further misery for his side.
“There isn’t much to say; we played a very poor match and failed to deliver what was needed to secure a positive result,” said Al Sadd head coach Razvan Lucescu, whose side managed just a single shot on target and had Roberto Firmino’s 57th-minute strike ruled out by VAR for a handball in the buildup to the Brazilian’s point-blank effort.
“We faced a team highly determined to win, while we lost control of the game and were unable to find a way to stage a comeback. We must address the errors that occurred so we can bounce back strongly in the upcoming matches,” added the Romanian coach – a 2019 champion in the Asian elite club competition with Al Hilal. Esteghlal will resume the league stage with an away game against Al Gharafa of Qatar on October 12. With none of the four Saudi Pro League giants on the eight-game fixtures list, Esteghlal will look to build on the emphatic result in arguably one of its toughest tests in the West Zone to secure a second last-16 spot in three years.
Tractor off track
Unlike Esteghlal, fellow Iranian club Tractor endured a disappointing start to the competition, falling 1-0 to the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli in Dubai. Yuri Cesar’s opportunistic 22nd-minute strike at the Rashid Stadium capped a well-rounded display by the Emirati side, which had two Iranian internationals in Sardar Azmoun and Saeid Ezzatollahi in the starting XI. Semifinalists last year, Shabab Al Ahli immediately edged possession, and their pressing seemed to have paid off in the seventh minute when Azmoun nodded home, only for his effort to be ruled offside.
Azmoun tried again in the 19th minute, charging down the right but finding no takers for his diagonal pass before Brazilian left back Rikelme rattled the bar a minute later from 35 yards out.
The home side eventually made the breakthrough midway through the first half, when Yuri Cesar, taking advantage of a fumble by Tractor captain Shoja Khalilsadeh, pounced on the loose ball on the left and steered his shot from just outside the six-yard box past keeper Parsa Jafari, who filled in for suspended Iranian international Alireza Beiranvand.
While Tractor struggled to find its way into the opposing box, Mohammad Daneshgar came close to an equalizer for Javad Nekounam’s side in the 79th minute, only to skim his header against the bar, while Mahdi Shiri saw his fiercely struck 25-yard shot two minutes later tipped over by Matheus Donelli.
Next for Tractor is a home game against Qatar’s Al Shamal, which will be staged at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat on Oct. 12.