Miracle in Tehran; Persepolis' Historic Rise to the AFC Champions League Semifinals

The Persepolis football team advanced to the semifinals of the AFC Champions League by defeating Al-Duhail of Qatar. The Iranian Reds, who lost the first leg 1-0 to Al-Duhail, also ended the first half of the return match down 1-0. Now, under the guidance of Branko Ivanković, they needed three goals, waiting 57 minutes for their first goal, and then scored two more to celebrate a historic advancement. The Persepolis lineup included Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Hossein Mahini (Shayan Mosallahi), Mohammad Ansari, Kamal Kamyabinia, Ahmad Nourallahi, Ali Alipour, Omid Alishah, Godwin Mensah (Ehsan Alavandzadeh), and Bashar Resan (Adam Hemati). Al-Duhail came to Azadi Stadium with stars like Lucas Mendes, Luiz Junior, Nam Tae-hee, Edmilson, and Moaz Ali, who scored the winning goal in the first leg. The invincibility spell of Al-Duhail was broken after 42 matches. They had not lost in official matches in 2018. The powerful Qatari representative had only lost twice in their last 19 AFC Champions League matches, both times to Persepolis. In the first half, Godwin Mensah rattled Al-Duhail's goalpost with a heavy shot, but it was Al-Duhail, coached by Nabil Maaloul, who scored first. A free kick for Al-Duhail, sent to the six-yard box and poorly cleared by Shoja Khalilzadeh, accidentally fell to Bouzidaf and rolled into the net, putting the Qatari representative ahead. Seyed Jalal Hosseini scored the first goal for Persepolis from a corner kick, bringing excitement back to the stands. In the 76th minute, a quick move by Ali Alipour from the left, with his low cross and intervention by Bashar Resan, along with a mistake by Al-Duhail's defender, brought Persepolis their second goal. In the 79th minute, as Al-Duhail's organization completely collapsed, Godwin Mensah, the Nigerian star of Persepolis, scored the advancement goal by passing Al-Duhail's defender and dribbling past the goalkeeper. Referee Ruslan Irmatov from Uzbekistan added five minutes of stoppage time, during which the most significant event was the expulsion of Branko Ivanković. Branko Ivanković led his team to the semifinals of the AFC Champions League despite being banned from two consecutive transfer windows. In this match, Siamak Nemati was also unable to join Persepolis due to suspension. With the final whistle, Azadi Stadium, filled with over sixty thousand spectators, was engulfed in joy and celebration. Persepolis will face the winner of the match between Al-Sadd of Qatar and Esteghlal of Iran in the semifinals.