Independence Eliminated from AFC Champions League; Al-Sadd of Qatar to Face Persepolis

The match between Al-Sadd of Qatar and Esteghlal of Iran ended in a 2-2 draw in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. With this result, Al-Sadd advanced to the semi-finals. The winner of the match between Al-Sadd and Persepolis of Iran over two legs will reach the final of the AFC Champions League to compete for the championship trophy against a representative from East Asia. Persepolis will face Al-Sadd in Doha on October 1, and the return match will be held on November 1 at Azadi Stadium. The Reds will be without Kamal Kamyabinia, Mohammad Ansari, and Branko Ivankovic due to suspensions in the first leg. The first leg match between Esteghlal and Al-Sadd in Tehran ended with a poor performance from the Blues, resulting in a 3-1 victory for Al-Sadd. Esteghlal presented a different performance at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, and had they not been reduced to ten men, they might have had a chance to advance or at least maintain their lead. Esteghlal's goal was opened in the 27th minute by Akram Afif, but six minutes later, Rouhollah Bagheri, who did not play in the first leg, scored the equalizer. In the 49th minute, Morteza Tabatabai scored the second goal with a header from an Ismaili cross, putting Esteghlal ahead. From that moment, Esteghlal needed one more goal to take the match into extra time. However, the red card for Roozbeh Cheshmi and Baghdad Bounedjah's penalty goal in the 91st minute led to the elimination of the Blues from the AFC Champions League despite their good and attacking performance. If Esteghlal had advanced, the semi-finals would have turned into a Tehran derby, with Persepolis facing Esteghlal in two matches. Mehdi Rahmati, Khosrow Heydari, Pejman Montazeri, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Milad Zakipour, Ali Karimi, Farshid Esmaili, Mehdi Ghayeedi (Allahyār Sayyadmanesh), Tareq Hamam (Voria Ghafouri), Morteza Tabatabai, and Rouhollah Bagheri (Armin Sohrabian) were the players sent onto the field by Winfried Schäfer. Before Cheshmi's red card, Esteghlal controlled the game and created many opportunities. Meanwhile, Al-Sadd boasts famous stars like Xavi Hernandez, Gabi, and Baghdad Bounedjah. Esteghlal's attacking momentum was disrupted after Cheshmi's expulsion, and they conceded the equalizer, further regretting the events of the first leg. After conceding the equalizer, Ali Karimi, Esteghlal's star in this match, hit the post with a beautiful free kick, and unfortunately, his shot did not enter the net. After Esteghlal's elimination, Schäfer said in a press conference: 'Our team had good chances to score and come back when we were down to ten men. Cheshmi's expulsion made it difficult for us, but today we fought with all our might for Esteghlal and the fans.'