|
|
Substitute Geilson scored in the dying minutes of the game to earn Iranian side Tractorsazi a share of the points in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Qatar’s El Jaish at the Al Rayyan Stadium in Group A of the AFC Champions League yesterday.
Geilson (Geílson de Carvalho Soares) came off the bench to head home in stoppage time just minutes after Wagner Ribeiro (Wagner Renan Ribeiro) looked to have given hosts El Jaish all three points with a well-taken left-footed effort.
The dramatic finale came in a pulsating game in which Tractorsazi led twice, only for El Jaish to twice peg them back before going in front in the 87th minute through Wagner Ribeiro.
Flávio Paixão had given the Iranian side the lead in the 24th minute but Wagner Ribeiro’s 35th minute goal ensured the teams went in level at halftime while Mehdi Seyed Salehi put Tractorsazi in front once again only for Adriano (Adriano Ferreira Martins) to equalise from the penalty spot.
El Jaish started the brighter, with Wagner forcing Mehdi Sabeti into action with an on-target header and Adriano firing straight at the Iranian goalkeeper with an acrobatic effort soon after.
But despite the home side having the better of the opening exchanges, it was Tractorsazi who took the lead in the 24th minute when Javad Kazemeyan’s cross found Flávio Paixão, who beat teammate Salehi to the ball to head home.
The lead, though, was only to last 11 minutes as the Qataris hit Tractorsazi on the break with Mahir Yusuf surging through the middle before sliding the ball into the path of Wagner Ribeiro, who slotted the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to score.
With five minutes remaining in the half, Abolghasem Dehnavi saw his long-range attempt pushed over the El Jaish bar by Ahmed Sofyan while at the other end Mohd Methani’s header was pushed round the post by Sabeti while Adriano’s effort on the stroke of half time came back off the woodwork with the goalkeeper beaten.
Five minutes after the restart, however, Tractorsazi were back in front when Salehi scored with a weak left-footed effort that somehow found its way into the far corner of Sofyan’s goal.
But Adriano was given the opportunity to pull his team level again from the penalty spot in the 67th minute, and he made no mistake, beating Sabeti to his right with a well-placed effort.
With three minutes remaining, Wagner Ribeiro thought he had done enough to give El Jaish their first win of the campaign with a fine effort that found the top corner of Sabeti’s goal but Sofyan was unable to stop Geilson’s header from crossing the line and the Iranians went home with a point for their efforts.
Meanwhile, Lekhwiya, the only Qatari side with a victory so far in the tournament, played a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ettifaq in Dammam. Lekhwiya had beaten UAE’s Al Shabab in their opening match two weeks ago.
Earlier, Jiangsu Sainty played out a tense 0-0 draw with Japan’s Vegalta Sendai under tight security but with no violent flare-ups in Nanjing, scene of a notorious massacre by Japanese troops.
In a highly charged atmosphere, about 6,000 police were at the Olympic Sports Center stadium and occasional taunts were directed at the small group of around 100 Japanese fans, who were gathered together and under heavy guard.
The home crowd broke into an emotive rendition of the Chinese national anthem just before kick-off. But there was no violence or widespread displays of anger, despite enduring bitterness in China over the 1937-1938 mass killings and rapes.
The result earned debutants Jiangsu, hosting their first AFC Champions League game, their first point of the pan-Asian competition but could not lift them off the foot of Group E.
Jiangsu’s fans left disappointed after their team pressed strongly for a late winner, only to be held goalless by the Japanese visitors.
Earlier, Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande gave their title hopes a boost when they fought back to earn a 1-1 away draw with former winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
The Chinese champions fell behind to a first-half strike from Jeonbuk’s Kim Jung-Woo, and the hosts nearly went further ahead when Australian defender Alex Wilkinson and Brazilian midfielder Leonardo both went close with headers.