At the end of it, Persepolis players will be left wondering how ended up without a win in their AFC Champions League Round of 16 tie against Lekhwiya. The Iranian side — playing at home at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran — dominated proceedings, created multiple chances and were even awarded a penalty but they still couldn’t score. The first leg of this tie ended goalless and it will be Lekhwiya who will be happy this result. They have goalkeeper Qasem Burhan to thank, for keeping them in the tie with timely saves including denying that crucial penalty.
Just six minutes into the match and Persepolis had their first chance. Mehdi Taremi had a free header inside the box after getting a cross from Hossein Mahini down the left flank but the striker missed the target. It was an ominous sign for Lekhwiya. Taremi is this season’s top scorer in this competition having scored six of Persepolis FC’s last seven goals.
In the 14th minute Lekhwiya could have sprung a surprise but Luiz Junior’s shot ended up hitting the post and going wide. Yousef Msakni had another shot on target for Lekhwiya in the 25th minute but it was saved by Persepolis keeper Alireza Beiranvand. The visitors had another chance in the 38th minute but Nam Tae-Hee shot over the bar.
Persepolis had a couple of chances themselves but they couldn’t score either. Both teams went into the break goalless but with the amount of possession that Persepolis had, a goal looked inevitable.
The second half began in a similar fashion as the first. Two minutes into the restart and Persepolis missed another chance. This time it was Mohsen Mosalman who was the culprit, shooting wide. The Persepolis midfielder had an even better chance two minutes later. Taremi provided him with a good pass inside the box but Mosalman’s shot was just wide.
Lekhwiya, reduced to attacking on the counter, got a chance through Karim Boudiaf in the 57th minute but his shot was saved by Beiranvand. Three minutes later, Tae-Hee’s curler was tipped over the bar was Beiranvand.
Taremi was constantly troubling the Lekhwiya defenders but was lacking in the final touch. But of all the wasted opportunities, it would be the missed penalty that will haunt the striker the most. In the 80th minute Lekhwiya’s Ali Afif brought down Taremi and the Uzbek referee Valentin Kovalenko pointed to the spot. The Persepolis striker himself stepped up but his shot was saved by Lekhwiya keeper Qasem Burhan. The tall keeper guessed correctly and stepped out to produce a good save and keep Lekhwiya in the game.
The Qatari side could snatched a goal through Luiz Junior but his shot from outside the box was blocked by Beiranvand. Persepolis stepped up their attack in these closing minutes of the match. Burahn produced a great save in the 86th minute when he got down low to deny Vahid Amiri from within the six yard box.
In 92nd minute, Taremi had another chance to win it for his side. He got a Sadegh Moharrami inside the six-yard box but his shot was saved by Burhan. The home side enjoyed 60 per cent of the possession, had 10 shots at the Lekhwiya goal out of which three were on target but they still couldn’t score. Lekhwiya too had two shots on target but they will be happy to have eked out this draw.
Before this match, Persepolis had never lost a home game against Qatari opposition in this competition and that record is still intact. The Qatari side had been undefeated in their last seven games away from home in the Asian Champions League and now have extended that to eight. Both teams will be looking forward to the second leg in a week’s time. Persepolis will be looking to reproduce the attacking form they showed in this match, except they would want to score. Lekhwiya will be relieved to have come away with this crucial draw and will be banking on home advantage to win the tie and progress to the quarter-finals.
Results
Round of 16 1st leg
Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN) 1 (Paulinho 75) Kashima Antlers (JPN) 0
Muangthong United (THA) 1 (Teerasil 45+3) Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) 3 (Nakamura 66, Kobayashi 69, Abe 89)
Persepolis (IRI) 0 Lekhwiya (QAT) 0
Esteghlal Khuzestan (IRI) 1 (Saeid 42) Al Hilal (KSA) 2 (Al Zori 52, Carlos Eduardo 57)
Lekhwiya’s Ahmed Yasser (left) vies for the ball with Persepolis’ Mehdi Taremi during the Asian Champions League match at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran yesterday. (AFP)
