The winner of Iranian Persian Gulf League Perspolis took on Qatari Al Sadd on Tuesday and defeated the Qatari hosts 1-0 in the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals.
The players of the most popular Iranian club put on a great performance and edged closer to the final showdown of the competitions by winning a difficult match in Doha’s hot and humid weather.
Both Iranian and Qatari teams played well in the first half of the match, despite the fact that Perspolic was lacking three of its best players. Qatari team waged several attacks against the Iranian side's post in the first half. During the second half, both teams came close to score goals several times, while the Qatari side increased their pressures on Iranian side's goal and Perspolis's post came under several attacks by Al Sadd. It was ultimately Ali Alipour's late penalty which finally gave Iran's Persepolis an important 1-0 over the hosts.
The two teams will face each other again on October 23 at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran for the second leg, which will decide who gets to play in the final of the AFC Champions League.
KI/4419179