Persepolis Stopped and Esteghlal Khuzestan Defeated by Qatari Representatives

In the fourth round of the AFC Champions League, Esteghlal Khuzestan and Persepolis were held to a standstill against Qatari representatives. In Group D, Persepolis drew 0-0 against Al Rayyan at Azadi Stadium with 57,000 spectators present. Under the guidance of Branko Ivankovic, they stand third in the group with five points and a negative goal difference of one. This draw raises the stakes for the next match for the Reds, which will be held in Muscat against Al Hilal. It is a crucial match for their advancement, without Seyed Jalal Hosseini and Soroush Rafiei, who received yellow cards against Al Rayyan and are now suspended. The most significant event in the Persepolis vs. Al Rayyan match was the penalty awarded to Persepolis in the first half. Taremi, who was fouled, took the penalty but failed to score against goalkeeper Omar Barry. Both teams hit the woodwork and created several dangerous situations in the penalty area, making the match exciting despite the goalless draw. The Persepolis players in this match included Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Hossein Mahini, Mohammad Ansari, Sadegh Moharrami, Kamal Kamyabinia, Soroush Rafiei (Mohsen Rabiei-Khah), Mohsen Muslim (Ehsan Alavanzadeh), Ali Alipour, Vahid Amiri, and Mehdi Taremi. Branko commented on Al Rayyan's late chances, stating that the organization of his team fell apart, and it was strange that they were not punished in those moments. He apologized to the dissatisfied fans and expressed confusion over Taremi's penalty decision, stating that he would no longer take penalties while he is the coach. Michael Laudrup, the Al Rayyan coach, told reporters, 'It was fortunate for us that Persepolis did not score from the penalty. We also had a chance to score at the beginning of the second half that we missed. I must thank my goalkeeper; without him, we might have lost.' In Group B, Esteghlal Khuzestan lost 2-1 to their host Lekhwiya (Qatar), with Alois Nong scoring for the Iranian team. The Esteghlal Khuzestan players included Vahid Sheikh Vaisi, Danial Mahini (Zabidi), Mohammad Tayebi, Aqil Kabiri, Peyman Shirzadi, Farshad Salarvand (Abolfazl Alayi), Salman Bahrani, Mehdi Momeni, Alois Nong, Hassan Beit Saeed, and Arash Afshin (Mostafa Mahi). In another match in this group, Al Jazira of the UAE and Al Fateh of Saudi Arabia drew 0-0. In this group, Lekhwiya has reached eight points and stands at the top, while Esteghlal Khuzestan is in second place with seven points. Coach Pourmousavi of Esteghlal stated after the match, 'We will definitely advance because I believe in my team. I hope to celebrate our advancement on the fifth of Ordibehesht in Oman, where we will play the return match against Al Fateh of Saudi Arabia.'