Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Esfahan: Iranian champions Sepahan secured a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League for the second year in a row after first-half goals by Bruno Cesar Correa and Mohsen Bengar fired them to a 2-0 win over Iranian league rivals Esteghlal on Tuesday.
Sepahan had edged Esteghlal by a point to lift their third straight Iran Pro League title earlier this month and they piled the misery on the Tehran side with a deserved victory at the Foolad Shahr Stadium.
Correa opened the scoring with a deft strike after eight minutes and Bengar added a second with a solid header late in the first half
“We proved that we are the best team in Iran," said a jubilant Sepahan coach Zlatko Krancjar. "As well as proving that we were the dominant and better side, we also showed that we can play good football against a strong team like Esteghlal.
"I congratulate the players and our supporters for the win, and I am confident that we can get this team to an even higher level. We may not have played nicely in some of our recent games but we have the ability to improve day by day.
“Today we played good tactical football and followed all of our plans for the game,” the Sepahan coach added.
The home side could have gone ahead as early as the fifth minute when Xhevahir Sukaj exchanged a one-two with Moharram Navidkia and burst clear on goal only to see his shot kept out by the legs of Esteghlal goalkeeper Mehdi Rahmati.
The ex-Sepahan goalie would be culpable though when his former club took the lead in the eighth minute as he could only parry Moharram Navidkia’s shot from distance towards Sukaj. The Albanian headed the ball back towards the middle of the box where Correa turned it into the net with a deft touch of his right boot.
Sepahan were the livelier side in the first half and they could have extended their lead as Correa saw his closer range shot nearly spilled over the line by Rahmati while Sukaj sent a brave diving header straight at the goalkeeper.
But a second goal would arrive in the 35th minute. Fabio Januario’s corner from the left appeared to be far too deep but Sukaj headed the ball back across goal and Bengar rose above the Esteghlal defence to power home a header.
There were few real opportunities in the second half as Sepahan sought to frustrate their opponents and see out the win.
Esteghlal rarely threatened although the home side were grateful for the alertness of Bengar who hacked the ball clear when Andranik Teymourian’s low cross from the right threatened to unlock the Sepahan defence.
“The game was not in our favour and we didn't play well,” said Esteghlal coach Parviz Maloomi. .”We had planned to control the game in the first half but their early goal unbalanced our plans. We didn't create goal scoring opportunities and the substitutions I made were to send our forwards in.
"Sepahan were rewarded for their strong effort and determination. Their players ran a lot and all of their tactical plans were well performed. We didn't have anything to lose in the second half that's why I added more forwards, but Sepahan played well and achieved what they had wanted."
Pic: AFP