Analysis: Esteghlal patience helps earns late breakthrough

In the face of high Al Ain levels of possession, Esteghlal’s compact defensive structure greatly limited their opponents’ attacking opportunities before striking at the death themselves to secure victory.

For coach Alireza Mansourian, it was vindication of his pragmatic approach to the tie.

Esteghlal sit deep and prosper

Esteghlal may have been forced to wait until the final moments of the encounter for their breakthrough, but the game plan throughout had been to remain patient and try to make the most of whatever attacking opportunities fell their way.

In particular, in the first half of the encounter 40 percent of the game was played in Esteghlal’s final third of the pitch—with Al Ain enjoying 59.1 percent of the possession in that period.

While that balance improved in the second half, with a drop to just 25.5 percent of the clash being played in their defensive zones, Esteghlal were content to soak up the pressure their visitors could offer.

The plan was executed perfectly, limiting Al Ain to just one shot on target—seven shots in total—as Esteghlal then made the most of their late opportunity to win the game.

Omar Abdulrahman threat nullified

Omar Abdulrahman is so often Al Ain’s shining light in such matches, but a change of approach to use the playmaker as the side’s most advanced player limited his impact on the night.

Al Ain have become accustomed to everything flowing through their No. 10, but Esteghlal limited Abdulrahman’s impact to just zero chances created and just two shots at goal from narrow angles.

His passing accuracy on the night was also a disappointing 54.9 percent.

Abdulrahman’s risk-heavy style of football can lead to frequently conceding possession, but by his own high standards it was a disappointing outing.

He lost out in 46 percent of his duels (6/13) over the course of the 90 minutes.

Having been directly involved in seven of Al Ain’s past eight goals in the competition (three goals, four assists)

Farshid Bagheri leads defensive effort

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In the face of high Al Ain levels of possession, Esteghlal\u2019s compact defensive structure greatly limited their opponents\u2019 attacking opportunities before striking at the death themselves to secure victory.

For coach Alireza Mansourian, it was vindication of his pragmatic approach to the tie.

Esteghlal sit deep and prosper

\n\n

In particular, in the first half of the encounter 40 percent of the game was played in Esteghlal\u2019s final third of the pitch\u2014with Al Ain enjoying 59.1 percent of the possession in that period.

The plan was executed perfectly, limiting Al Ain to just one shot on target\u2014seven shots in total\u2014as Esteghlal then made the most of their late opportunity to win the game.

Omar Abdulrahman threat nullified

\n\n

Omar Abdulrahman is so often Al Ain\u2019s shining light in such matches, but a change of approach to use the playmaker as the side\u2019s most advanced player limited his impact on the night.

Al Ain have become accustomed to everything flowing through their No. 10, but Esteghlal limited Abdulrahman\u2019s impact to just zero chances created and just two shots at goal from narrow angles.

His passing accuracy on the night was also a disappointing 54.9 percent.

Abdulrahman\u2019s risk-heavy style of football can lead to frequently conceding possession, but by his own high standards it was a disappointing outing.

He lost out in 46 percent of his duels (6/13) over the course of the 90 minutes.

Having been directly involved in seven of Al Ain\u2019s past eight goals in the competition (three goals, four assists)

Farshid Bagheri leads defensive effort

", "headline": "Analysis: Esteghlal patience helps earns late breakthrough", "description": "Tehran: Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s Esteghlal claimed a late 1-0 victory over 2016 AFC Champions League finalist\u2019s Al Ain of the UAE on Monday in a display marked by defensive resilience and determination.\r\n", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "url": "https://www.the-afc.com/", "name": "the AFC" }, "image": "https://assets.the-afc.com/migration/v/9/v9k0l1kcfxzdiddp45rv.jpg", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "datePublished": "2017-05-25", "url": "www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/news/analysis_esteghlal_patience_helps_earns_late_breakthrough.html" }