Persepolis - Kashima; From the Lion and Sun Flag to School Broadcasts

The first leg of the AFC Champions League final between Kashima Antlers and Persepolis took place on Saturday, November 3, in Ibaraki, Japan, ending with a 2-0 victory for the hosts. Persepolis had a stormy start in the first half and could have scored, but Alipour's shot hit the face of a Kashima defender and did not find the net. The physical strength of Branko Ivankovic's players diminished in the second half. Before conceding the goal, they had an advantage over their opponent in both corner kicks and shots on target. Siamak Nemati received a second yellow card in the final seconds due to a confrontation, leading to his expulsion and missing the return leg. Nemati's reckless behavior, given Persepolis's empty bench, caused significant damage to the team. To compensate for the result, Persepolis must score at least two goals in the return match to push the game into extra time. If they concede a goal at Azadi Stadium, the Reds will need four goals to win the championship, as even a 3-1 victory would allow Kashima to claim the trophy due to the away goal rule. The players for Persepolis in this match included Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Mohammad Ansari, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Shayan Mosallahi, Kamal Kamyabi-Nia, Ahmad Nourallahi (Omid Alishah), Bashar Resan, Ali Alipour, Godwin Mensah, and Siamak Nemati. Approximately an hour into the match, Leonardo Silva, one of Kashima's Brazilians, scored from outside the penalty area. Ten minutes later, Serginho, another Brazilian player for the hosts, scored the second goal in an unbalanced situation, significantly reducing Kashima's worries for the return match. Hossein Asgari, former head of the referees committee, told ISNA that the second goal was suspicious and that a player was offside in the path of the ball, and the referee could have called offside. Davood Rafati, head of the refereeing department, confirmed these statements, stating that the player in the path of the ball was offside and the referee could have called a foul. The strong Japanese team advanced from a tough group that included Samsung from South Korea, Sydney from Australia, and Shanghai from China. In the knockout stage, they eliminated representatives from China and South Korea to reach the final with the best attacking record in Asia. Persepolis advanced as the leader from a group that included Al Sadd from Qatar, Nasaf Qarshi from Uzbekistan, and Al Wasl from the UAE. In the round of 16, they faced Al Jazira from the UAE, in the quarter-finals against Al Duhail from Qatar, and in the semi-finals against Al Sadd from Qatar to become finalists. In the first half, one Iranian fan entered the field with a Lion and Sun flag. The live broadcast reporter from IRIB, who did not notice the significance of the Lion and Sun, referred to it as 'the beautiful and sacred flag of our country.' This fan was escorted out of the field by officials. Branko and other bench players of Persepolis also went to mediate with the officials. Another side note of this match was the broadcast in schools across Iran. From elementary schools to high schools, students in the morning shift had the opportunity to watch the match at their educational institutions. Numerous and diverse images of enthusiastic and widespread reception by schoolgirls across the country for the televised broadcast have been shared on social media. Seyed Jalal Hosseini, after the defeat, said: 'The second half of the final is still left. We have the support of our fans to finish a tough match well.' The captain of Persepolis believed that the referee was influenced by the atmosphere of the stadium. He noted that although we could have played defensively, we were aggressive from the first minute. The oldest player on the field emphasized: 'Unfortunately, we conceded two bad goals, but we will make up for it in Tehran. I ask our fans to prepare themselves for a big day.' Branko Ivankovic, the head coach of Persepolis, also stated in the press conference: 'We could have left the field as winners. The referee did not give a red card to the opponent. In the return match, with a hundred thousand supporters, the conditions will change in our favor. Nothing is impossible.'