Al Sadd enter AFC Champions League semifinal

Doha: Al Sadd missed a host of chances but still withstood a strong challenge from Iranian side Esteghlal to draw 2-2 on the night and advance to the AFC Champions League semifinal with a 5-3 aggregate victory.

In the match played at their own beautiful stadium with a green velvet carpet of a pitch, Sadd never lost control of the game, but they could not dominate either.

Akram Afif and Baghdad Bounedjah scored for Sadd while Rouhollah Bagheri and Morteza Tabrizi found the target for Esteghlal, who played almost the whole of the second half with 10 men after Rouzbeh Cheshmi was red carded in the 50th minute for a foul on Afif.

In the semifinal, Sadd will take on another Iranian side Persepolis, who came back strongly from a goal down at home to stun Qatar’s Al Duhail SC 3-1 for a 3-2 aggregate result.

Sadd went into the match as overwhelming favourites after outplaying Esteghlal in Tehran, but it was clear at the start itself that the Iranians were not going out without a fight.

Sad controlled the pace of the game in the opening minutes but the first shot on goal came from Esteghlal’s Mehdi Ghayedi, who however, failed to trouble keeper Meshaal Barsham.

A few minutes later Sadd goal was under further pressure when Bagheri made a surging run through the middle and won a freekick just outside the box. But Sadd wall stood tall and did its job.

Sadd talisman Bounedjah had a rare off game and missed a host of chances that he normally would have buried.

Bounedjah’s first miss came in the 23rd minute when Hamad Ismael’s cross from an indirect corner found him right inside the six-yard box, but the Algerian striker failed to guide his header goalwards.

Two minutes later Hassan Al Haydous surprised Iranian defence with his run through the middle and had goalkeeper Mehdi Rahmati in all sorts of trouble with a stinging, swerving shot.

And Sadd took the lead in the next minute with a beautifully worked goal.

The ball moved through the right from Pedro Miguel to Hassan Al Haydous, who found Bounedjah in the centre with a first-time cross. The Sadd striker, with his back to the goal, showed his strength to hold on to the ball and laid it off to an onrushing Afif, who beat the Iranian defence with his pace before burying it into the right of Rahmati.

Sadd's hopes of running away with the match were dashed five minutes later as their young keeper Barsham’s mistake allowed Esteghlal to come back.  

Bagheri’s shot was too hot to handle for Barsham who let it leak through his hands.

Sadd regained the control of the match with their short passing game and Xavi tested Rahmati with a long-range shot, but the Iranian goalkeeper kept it out at the cost of a corner.

Abdelkarim Hassan’s towering header off the resultant corner, unfortunately for Sadd, was straight at the keeper. Sadd had another chance to restore the lead before halftime as Afif’s powerful shot flashed wide of the post.    

But Esteghlal stunned Sadd and the crowd in the 49th minute when they took the lead through Morteza Tabrizi.

A moment of lapse in concentration from Abdulkarim allowed Tabrizi to have a snapshot at goal. Though Barsham saved it with his feet, he was helpless when Tabrizi rose above Sadd defence and met the corner with a powerful header.

But Esteghlal suffered a mighty blow in the very next minute when their central defender Cheshmi got his second yellow.

Bounedjah had a chance to add to their misery but his header off the freekick from Xavi was inches wide of the mark.

Afif then had two chances back to back to draw level, but Esteghlal were saved by a desperate block initially, while the post came to their rescue the next minute.

With Sadd looking for the equaliser, Baghdad lost his marker to connect Al Haydous’ cross, however, Esteghlal defence somehow kept the shot out for a corner in the 62nd minute.

Sadd had to endure some anxious moments in their own half, but they kept on raiding Esteghlal goal mouth in search of an equaliser.

And that goal came in added time when Rahmati fouled Afif allowing Baghdad to convert from the spot for his 12th goal of the campaign.

Sadd, Asian champions 2011 and 1989, will be looking to enter their third final, but a tough challenge awaits them in the form of Persepolis.