AFC Champions League: Al-Sadd exit after 1-1 draw with Persepolis

Al Sadd bade farewell to the AFC Champions League at the penultimate stage, following a 1-1 draw with Iranian side Persepolis in the semifinal second leg in Tehran.

Baghdad Bounedjah had levelled the aggregate score with his 17th minute strike but Persepolis restored the status quo through Siamak Nemati’s goal in the 49th minute.

The Iranians thus went through to the final with a 2-1 aggregate win, after having won the first leg 1-0 in Doha.

Al Sadd began brightly and Abdelkarim Hassan had a chance to score in the third minute itself. However, his shot at goal went straight into the hands of Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

In the 17th minute, Al-Sadd’s efforts paid off as Bounedjah promptly finished off a loose ball with first-time strike from the edge of the box. It was Bounedjah’s 13th goal of the campaign.

Khoukhi Boualem then had a chance to make it 2-0 for Al-Sadd from a free-kick but his fierce shot went over the crossbar.

The teams went into the tunnel at halftime, with the game neatly poised but it soon tilted in Persepolis’ favour after the restart. In the 49th minute, Godwin Mensha sent in a cross from the left and Siamak Nemati met it with a volley that crept in past Meshaal Barsham.

Al Sadd’s performance dipped after Nemati’s strike, which was exploited by a Persepolis side bent on establishing their dominance. In the 64th minute, Aissa’s point-blank save from Alipour denied Persepolis what could have been a deciding goal.

Jesualdo Ferreira sent on Hamza Al-Sanhaji to replace full-back Hamid Ismail, as he looked to add impetus to his side’s attack. However, Beiranvand was in top form under the Persepolis bar and saved his side with a stunning save to keep out Xavi’s header in the 86th minute.

In the four minutes of added time, Al Sadd pushed forward in numbers but Persepolis held on to clinch the draw and go through to the final.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Persepolis (AFC Champions League semifinal second leg)

Venue:

Azadi Stadium

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Meshaal Barsham (GK), Hamid Ismail, Pedro Miguel, Khoukhi Boualem, Abdelkarim Hassan, Gabi, Jung Woo-young, Xavi Hernandez, Akram Afif, Baghdad Bounedjah, Hassan Al-Haydos

Persepolis: Alireza Beiranvand (GK) , Shojae Khalilzadeh, Ali Mosleh, Mohammad Ansari, Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Bashar Resan, Ahmad Nourollahi, Kamal Kamyabinia, Siamak Nemati, Ali Alipour, Godwin Mensha

Result:

Al-Sadd 1-1 Persepolis (Persepolis win the tie 2-1 on aggregate)

Goals:

Baghdad Bounedjah 17′

Siamak Nemati 49′

Bookings:

Kamal Kamyabinia 73′

Referees:

Valentin Kovalenko (Main referee)

Timur Gaynullin (Linesman)

Husniddin Shodmonov (Linesman)

Ruslan Serazitdinov (Fourth official)

Aziz Asimov (Additional referee)

Ilgiz Tantashev (Additional referee)