Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jeddah: Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia secured their passage into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals for the third time in four seasons with a 3-0 victory over Iranian side Persepolis FC (formerly Piroozi Athletic) on Wednesday.
Naif Hazazi put the two-time AFC Champions League winners ahead with a 35th minute penalty before sloppy defensive work by the Iranians allowed Faouzi Abdelghni to add a second on the stroke of half-time.
Eamon Zayed went close to cutting the deficit when he hit the crossbar with a header but Abdoh Autef sealed the win for Al Ittihad when he made it 3-0 two minutes from time.
With their win, Al Ittihad became the third Saudi club to make it to the quarter-finals of this year’s AFC Champions League alongside Al Ahli, who beat Al Jazira of the United Arab Emirates in a penalty shootout, and Al Hilal, who thrashed UAE side Baniyas 7-1.
"Despite the good result that we had, it was not an easy match for us,” said Al Ittihad coach Raul Caneda. “We played well in the first half and we took a two-goal lead at half-time before we secured the win late in the second half.
"I want to congratulate the players who performed well tonight. They showed what they are capable of in front of a big crowd who played an essential part in our win today."
Al Ittihad made a strong start at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium and nearly took the lead after three minutes when Hazazi’s first-time effort on a quick break by the hosts was well stopped by Persepolis goalkeeper Asmir Avdukic.
Egyptian midfielder Hosni Abdrabou then tested Avdukic with a low drive but the Bosnian goalkeeper did superbly to palm the shot away.
Persepolis had a golden opportunity to grab the lead on the quarter-hour mark when a through-ball sent Eamon Zayed clear but the Libya international striker’s low shot was stopped by a sprawling Mabrouk Zaid.
Having enjoyed much of the possession in the opening half, Al Ittihad went ahead in the 35th minute through a penalty, awarded for Shic Rezaei’s clumsy challenge on Abdelghni on the edge of the Persepolis area.
And Hazazi sent Avdukic the wrong way from the spot for his fifth goal in this season’s AFC Champions League.
They extended their advantage in stoppage time at the end of the half. The Persepolis defence had the opportunity to clear the ball after an Al Ittihad counter-attack but they allowed Autef to thread a ball through to an unmarked Abdelghni who slotted past a static Avdukic to make it 2-0.
Avdukic kept his side in the game with a good save to deny Mohammed Abusabaan early in the second half before the Bosnian then kept out an attempt by Abdelghni and could only watch on as Fabrice Ondama hit the post with his follow-up.
With six minutes left, Zayed rose above the Al Ittihad defence to plant a header against the crossbar.
And any hope of a late comeback evaporated when Autef tucked the ball away for Al Ittihad’s third in the 88th minute after Avdukic had pushed Abdrabou’s free-kick against the upright.
"The defeat tonight was hard because we didn't expect to lose by such a big margin,” said Persepolis coach Mustapha Denizli.
“We tried our best to battle back in the first half after conceding the opening goal but Al Ittihad scored the second goal and that affected us."
"The temperature also took its toll on the players who were tired towards the end of the game and while we were trying to get back, Al Ittihad scored a third goal to end our chances."
Pic: AFP