AFC Champions League Elite - MD6: Persepolis FC (IRN) 2-1 Al Shorta (IRQ)

#ACLElite | Persepolis FC (IRN) 2 - 1 Al Shorta (IRQ) — AFC Champions League Elite
MD6: Persepolis FC (IRN) 2-1 Al Shorta (IRQ)
Tue, 03 December, 2024

Doha: Giorgi Gvelesiani’s late penalty earned Persepolis their first win in the AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 on Monday as the Iranian side launched a late fight back to hand Al Shorta from Iraq a 2-1 defeat in Doha in the most dramatic fashion.

Mohanad Ali’s 19th minute lob looked like it was going to earn Al Shorta their first win in the competition but Oston Urunov’s strike into the corner pulled Persepolis level and Gvelesiani won the game, but only after Al Shorta’s Mahmoud Al Mawas had missed a spot-kick of his own.

The result at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium moves Persepolis onto six points from six games with two matches remaining while Al Shorta stayed on two points and with their hopes of advancing dwindling.

An audacious lob from 24-year-old Ali gave Al Shorta the lead and came seven minutes after the Iraq international had forced Persepolis goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz to thump the ball clear in the first opportunity of the game.

Ali was not to miss with his second sight of goal when he capitalised on a mistake by the Persepolis defence, blocking Hossein Kanani’s attempt to play the ball across the face of his own goal midway inside the Persepolis half.

Having gained possession, Ali astutely lifted the ball over the advancing Guendouz to score into an empty net.

Persepolis rarely threatened in the opening 45 minutes, the closest the Iranians came to troubling Ahmed Basil was when Milad Mohammadi bent the ball into the six yard box and Vahid Amiri narrowly missed connecting to beat the Al Shorta goalkeeper.

It was Guendouz who was at the greater risk of conceding in the half’s dying moments, the Persepolis man unable to do anything about Ahmed Farhan’s deflected strike from distance that looped high into the area before crashing against the crossbar and bouncing to safety.

Persepolis were denied the equaliser in the 65th minute when Basil saved at point blank range from Gvelesiani and, from the resulting corner, Isa Alkasir inexplicably headed wide from close range when unmarked at the near post.

Alkasir thought he had made amends 10 minutes later as the substitute made the slightest connection with Soroush Rafiei’s free-kick into the penalty area from the left but the header was ruled out for a marginal offside call by the VAR officials.

The equaliser finally came in the 89th minute when the ball found its way through to substitute Urunov eight yards from goal and the Uzbekistan international swept his right-foot shot beyond Basil.

But Mohammad Khodabandehlo was deemed to have handled the ball in his own penalty area when he blocked Hussein Ali’s goal-bound shot deep into added time only for Al Mawas’ penalty came back off the post to ensure the points were shared.

The drama continued at the other end, referee Kim Dae-yong pointing to the spot after the ball hit Salomon Bindjeme on the hand and Gvelesiani converted.

MD6: Persepolis FC (IRN) 2-1 Al Shorta (IRQ)

MD6: Al Nassr Club (KSA) 1-2 Al Sadd SC (QAT)

MD6: Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) 2-2 Esteghlal FC (IRN)

MD6: Al Wasl FC (UAE) 1-1 Al Rayyan SC (QAT)

Preview - MD6: Al Hilal SFC (KSA) v Al Gharafa SC (QAT)

Preview - MD6: Pakhtakor (UZB) v Al Ain FC (UAE)