Persepolis Advances to the Top Four Teams in Asia with 10 Players

The Persepolis football team achieved a 3-1 victory against Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, winning 5-3 on aggregate over two legs and advancing to the semifinals of the AFC Champions League. In the second leg of the quarterfinals held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Persepolis faced Al-Ahli and successfully reached the top four teams in Asia. Previously, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia had eliminated Al-Ain of the UAE from the competition. Thus, in the semifinals, Persepolis and Al-Hilal will meet again, just like in the group stage. In the match against Al-Ahli, Seyed Jalal Hosseini sat out, allowing Rabie Khah to take his place on the left side of defense, while Kamal Kamyabnia was utilized in the defensive midfield position. In the fifth minute, Ali Alipour, a successful and low-profile player for Persepolis in recent months, managed to score against Al-Ahli after a deep run and a one-on-one situation. A severe foul led to the expulsion of Kamal Kamyabnia, leaving Persepolis with ten players. However, throughout the first half, Al-Ahli failed to create a single goal-scoring opportunity and could not capitalize on their numerical advantage. In the second half, the Saudi Arabian team increased their pressure, and Saleh Al-Mari, after evading Khalilzadeh and with good situational awareness, opted for a curling shot instead of crossing the ball. He succeeded in scoring the equalizer. With this result, Persepolis would have been eliminated, prompting them to intensify their attacks to avoid defeat. Branko Ivankovic made three appropriate substitutions to bring off his tired players. The Croatian coach had neutralized the opponent's advantage with his substitutions in the first leg as well. In the return match, with good coaching and precise game reading, he led his team to victory despite being down a player. In the 80th minute, a beautiful cross from fresh player Bashar Resan created a good opportunity in the penalty area for the Reds. The cross reached Shayan Mosalih, who, coincidentally also a substitute, shot towards the goal, which hit the hand of Hossawi. The referee blew the whistle, pulled out a red card, and pointed to the penalty spot. Godwin Mensah, another new player for the Reds, scored against the goalkeeper's movement, putting Persepolis ahead. Both teams continued the match with one player less. Al-Ahli attacked recklessly, but their defense was vulnerable. The referee added six minutes of stoppage time. The home team was in disarray, and their defenders fouled the Iraqi Bashar Resan in the penalty area, prompting the Chinese referee to point to the penalty spot again. This time, Mehdi Taremi took the shot and, like Mensah, converted his penalty into a goal, securing Iran's representative's place among the top four teams in Asia. The lineup for Persepolis included Alireza Beiranvand, Hossein Mahini, Mohammad Ansari, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mohsen Rabie Khah, Kamal Kamyabnia, Mohsen Muslim (Bashar Resan), Vahid Amiri, Farshad Ahmadzadeh (Shayan Mosalih), Mehdi Taremi, and Ali Alipour (Godwin Mensah). Besides those who played in the second half, Bozhidar Radosevic, Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Sadegh Moharrami, and Siamak Nemati were also on the bench.