“We faced difficulties in the first half due to the weather conditions, but overall we controlled much of the game. We corrected ourselves at halftime and created several opportunities in the second half. I congratulate my players for a strong performance,” said Sousa.

“However, we are not satisfied and share the disappointment with our fans. We deserved a better result, without a doubt. The players made the right decisions on the pitch and created many chances. They are the same players who achieved great success last season, and they remain highly motivated. We just need to work harder to turn our opportunities into goals.”

Tractor head coach Dragan Skocic was pleased with the resilience shown by his side, despite the IR Iran outfit playing the most part of the second half with 10 men.

"I congratulate my players for their good performance against a strong opponent. The weather conditions were very difficult. This caused the players to have problems during the match. Playing in such weather conditions is not easy and the red card (for Domagoj Drozdek in the 51st minute) made it even harder,” said Skocic.

"In the first half we controlled the game and created good chances on the counter-attacks but we didn't take them. After that, we received a red card which made it more difficult. However, my players fought and made me proud.”