AFC Champions League: Al-Sadd lose out on top spot after 1-0 defeat to Persepolis

The Al-Sadd football first team fell to its second defeat in the 2018 AFC Champions League, after a 1-0 reverse away to Persepolis in the last match of the group stage on Monday evening.

With both sides having already secured spots in the Round of 16, the game would have been inconsequential if not for the fight to decide top spot in Group C. That honour now goes to Persepolis, who end up as toppers of the group with 13 points, just one point ahead of Al-Sadd.

Persepolis took the lead in the third minute itself, after Al-Sadd’s Morteza Pouraliganji scored an own goal. The Iranian defender headed in past Saad Al-Dosari while trying to clear a cross from the left wing.

Al-Sadd looked to regroup and come back into the game, and created a number of opportunities but were unable to make them count. Baghdad Bounedjah, in particular, had several chances to level the scores in the first half itself.

In the second half, Al-Sadd emerged stronger and almost found the target through Hassan Al-Haydos whose shot from the right deceived the goalkeeper and nearly crept in, only to go wide of the far post.

Khoukhi Boualem then had the ball in the net in the 63rd minute, after tapping in to convert Bounedjah’s cross but the linesman ruled out the effort after adjudging the latter to be offisde.

Al-Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira sent on Jugurtha Hamroun in place of Boualem in the 70th minute, with an aim of producing an equaliser. From then on, Al-Sadd produced wave after wave of attacks but were ultimately unable to break the Persepolis defence. In the final seconds of the game, Bounedjah’s shot crashed off the crossbar, summing up Al-Sadd’s lack of luck and helping Persepolis clinch a 1-0 win.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd 0-1 Persepolis (2018 AFC Champions League – Matchday Six: Group C)

Venue:

Azadi Sport Complex, Tehran

Lineups:

Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Pedro Miguel, Hamid Ismail, Yasir Abubakar, Morteza Pouraliganji, Xavi, Salem Al-Hajri, Khoukhi Boualem (Jugurtha Hamroun), Baghdad Bounedjah, Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif

Persepolis: Alireza Beiranvand, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Seyed Jalal Hoseini, Sadeq Moharrami, Siamak Nemati (Ali Mosleh), Kamal Kamyabinia (Godwin Mensha), Hussein Mahini, Mohammad Ansari, Vahid Amiri, Ahmed Nurhemati, Ali Alipour

Result:

Persepolis won 1-0

Goals:

3′ Morteza Pouraliganji (OG)

Bookings:

42′ Pedro Miguel

45′ Seyed Jalal

73′ Xavi

90+3′ Shojae Khalilzadeh

Referees:

Hetti Perera (Main referee)

Guruge Palliya (Linesman)

Palitha Hemathunga (Linesman)

Gamini Nivon (Fourth official)