ACL 2020 Archives - Iran News Daily

Persepolis Gifted ACL to Ulsan

reporter 1222 — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 09:59:36 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – S. Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai wins 2020 ACL. South Korean football team Ulsan Hyundai on Saturday were crowned the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League winners.

Ulsan Hyundai beat Iranian club Persepolis 2-1 to claim the Champions League trophy at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar.

Persepolis drew first blood in the final as Mehdi Abdi Qara scored in the 45th minute.

But Ulsan Hyundai came back from a 1-0 deficit as Junior Negrao scored a brace in the 49th and 55th minutes to seal a 2-1 victory for the South Korean club.

Ulsan Hyundai previously won the Champions League title in 2012.

Yoon Bit-garam – Ulsan Hyundai’s South Korean midfielder – was also named the Champions League Most Valuable Player for scoring 4 goals in the 2020 season.

After the final of the AFC Champions League where Persepolis conceded a defeat against South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai on Saturday, Rasan announced that he will not return to Tehran with the team, bidding farewell to the team members.

According to reports he has inked a three-year contract with Qatar SC worth above $3 million. He has also received the permit to leave Persepolis after the ACL final from Mehdi Rasoulpanah, former General Manager of Persepolis.

The departure comes as the team head coach Yahya Golmohammadi and current General Manager Jafar Samiei oppose the move.

In min-October, Rasan had bid farewell to Persepolis fans by a post on Instagram. Reports of his agreement with the Qatari club had been circulating then.

Qatar SC had earlier signed Ali Karimi from Esteghlal.

If Rasan’s transfer is realized, he will be the third player who has departed Persepolis for Qatar after Shoja Khalilzade (Al Rayyan) and Mehdi Torabi (Al Arabi) in the year 2020.

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AFC Champions League Final to Hold in Doha

reporter 1222 — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 06:29:39 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), together with the Qatar Football Association (QFA), on Thursday confirmed Doha, Qatar, as the venue for this year’s AFC Champions League single-leg final, which will be held on December 19.

With the successful conclusion of the AFC Champions League West zone matches in Qatar recently, as well as the upcoming preparations to host the East region fixtures next month, the AFC noted that the QFA met all the necessary hosting capability, capacity and medical infrastructure to host the final of Asia’s premier club competition, the-afc.com reported.

AFC Secretary-General Dato’ Windsor John, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made the decision on the venue for this year’s final more complex particularly in these uncertain times of travel and health restrictions.

“In addition to the numerous restrictions, the AFC also wanted to protect the important principle of sporting fair play. This will be, unlike previous years, a one-off final and we therefore needed to ensure that there was no unfair advantage to one team or the other.

“The successful staging of the AFC Champions League (West) is testament to the capability of the QFA and the Qatar government and we now look forward to building on the spirit of collaboration as we prepare to resume the captivating action from the East group stage to the final.”

Additionally, the AFC also had to consider the ability of the host to deliver such requirements among others, the video assistant referee technical arrangements, medical requirements and commercial obligations.

The AFC Champions League East region group stage will kick off on November 18, before the round of 16 takes place on December 6 and 7. The knockout Stage will commence with the quarterfinals on December 10 before the Semifinal on December 13.

Best of West

Persepolis defender Shoja Khalilzadeh’s goal against the UAE’s Sharjah on the final matchday of the group stage was voted as the AFC Champions League 2020 Goal of the West.

The center-back’s far-post header with two minutes into the game put the Reds on their way to a 4-0 victory over the Emirati side on September 24.

Khalilzadeh’s goal claimed 48 percent of the votes – registered by the Asian football fans – to stand above Esteghlal striker Cheick Diabate’s header goal against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli – also on matchday six – which finished on 34 percent.

Also among the candidates were goals from Sepahan’s Reza Mirzaei (against Al Sadd), Sharjah’s Welliton (against Al Taawoun), Al Duhail’s Abdullah al-Ahrak (against Sharjah), Al Nassr’s Abderrazak Hamdallah (against Sepahan), Al Sadd’s Hassan al-Haydos (against Sepahan), Al Taawoun’s Faisel Darwish (against Sharjah), Pakhtakor’s Jaloliddin Masharipov (against Shabab Al Ahli), and Al Nassr’s Abdulrahman al-Obaid (against Al Sadd).

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Persepolis Goes to ACL Final

reporter 1222 — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 04:51:48 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Persepolis beat Saudi side Al Nassr in the penalty shootout in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday to secure a place in the AFC Champions League (ACL) final.

Reds’ keeper Hamed Lak saved Brazilian center-back Maicon’s penalty while five Persepolis players — Hossein Kan’anizadegan, Siamak Nemati, Milad Sarlak, Shoja Khalilzadeh, and Ali Shojaei — converted from the spot to send their side into a second final in three years.

Yahya Golmohammadi’s men had to overcome the shocking news of Issa Alekasir’s suspension, stepping into the game, after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced only hours before the kickoff that the in-form striker would be banned from any footballing activity for six months.

The Asian football governing body believes the Iranian violated the AFC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Code by making a “discriminatory gesture” while celebrating his double during the 2-0 last-eight victory over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor last Wednesday.

Skipper Abderrazzak Hamdallah gave Al Nassr the lead from the spot with ten minutes before the interval after Khalid al-Ghannam was brought down in the box by Iraqi midfielder Bashar Resan.

Hamdallah stepped up to send Lak the wrong way by chipping calmly into the back of the net.

Persepolis, however, needed just six minutes to bounce back as Resan made up for his mistake by a fine cross to find striker Mehdi Abdi — who was only given a start following Alekasir’s suspension — before the 21-year-old equalized with a sublime header.

The Iranian club was lucky not to concede a second goal right after the break after Hamdallah’s beautifully-taken free-kick came off the crossbar.

Things got even worse for Persepolis — which looked absolutely drained following 90-plus minutes of football — when winger Ehsan Pahlevan received his marching orders for a second bookable challenge in the final minute of extra-time’s first half.

The Reds, however, hang on late to force the match into the shootout, which eventually brought them a place in the Dec. 19 final showdown.

The Iranian champion is far from knowing its final opponent as the East zone sides, having barely completed Matchday 2 of the group stage, are yet to resume the competition.

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Alekasir Gets Six-Month Ban by AFC

reporter 1222 — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 14:03:39 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian striker Issa Alekasir has been handed a six-month ban by the Asian Football Confederation for a “discriminatory gesture” just hours before he was due to lead his club Persepolis into the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League.

The 30-year-old Alekasir, who has scored four times in the last three games in the competition, received the ban after making a slant-eyed gesture to television cameras after scoring against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the quarter-finals on Wednesday evening.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee has banned Issa Alekasir, of Persepolis FC, from taking part in any kind of football-related activity for six months for violating Article 58.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code (2019 Edition). The ban will take effect immediately.

The player, who was also fined $10,000, was found to have used a discriminatory gesture during the AFC Champions League (West) game against Pakhtakor on Sept. 30, 2020 in Doha, Qatar.

Article 58.1 states that anyone who offends the dignity of a person or group of persons through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory words or actions concerning race, skin color, gender, disability, language, age, physical appearance, religion, political opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation, or ethnic, national, or social origin has committed an offence.

Persepolis takes on Al-Nassr on Saturday with the winner facing the top club from the eastern half of the draw in the final on December 19.

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Alekasir Chosen for Goal of the Week in 2020 ACL

reporter 1222 — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 12:41:36 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Persepolis forward Issa Alekasir was chosen as the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for the 2020 AFC Champions League.

Alekasir’s first goal against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor was selected by the fans as Goal of the Week following the public poll on the-AFC.com.

His goal got 75 percent of the votes.

Esteghlal’s Ali Karimi came second in the poll with 15 percent.

Al-Nassr’s Pity Martinez and Dragan Ceran of Pakhtakor came third and fourth in the poll.

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Golmohammadi Thanked Persepolis Players for Hard Work

reporter 1222 — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 13:05:08 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Persepolis coach Yahya Golmohammadi thanked his players for their devotion and hard work in the match against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan.

The Iranian team defeated Pakhtakor 2-0 in the AFC Champions league (West) quarter and will meet Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia in semifinal on Saturday.

“It was an important match and we are happy to be in the final of West. I would like to thank the players for their devotion and hard work,” said Golmohammadi.

“Ideally, we like to have continuity in the team; to continue with the same players who won the league title with us. Unfortunately, we lost some of those players and we had to go into the market and bring in replacements. We attracted good players and those players got on well with the ones already here,” he added.

“The key thing is for them to buy into the Persepolis philosophy, to have the winning mentality and the desire to be successful here. We are all working to make Persepolis fans happy.”

“We expect a tough match against Al-Nassr and we hope we will play against them as good as we did this game and last game.

“Winning gives us added motivation. We will help the players recover then analyze Al-Nassr and prepare for the game,” Golmohammadi concluded.

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Persepolis to Play with Pakhtakor in ACL quarterfinals

reporter 1222 — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 05:26:05 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Persepolis squares off against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in the AFC Champions League (ACL) quarterfinals at Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday.

History will be made at the last-eight round as the video assistant referee (VAR) will make its debut at the Asian club competitions.

Al Nassr and Al Taawoun will go head to head earlier on Wednesday in an all-Saudi battle for the other semifinal spot.

A victory over the 12-time Uzbekistan champion will see the Iranian Reds reach the last four of the competition for the third time in four years.

Persepolis and Pakhtakor met in last season’s group phase, where the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium before the Uzbek side claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture in Tashkent.

Yahya Golmohammadi’s men have been in fine form following the resumption of the competition in Qatar, winning 3-in-4 to finish on top of Group C before an 88th-minute header by Issa Alekasir gave them a 1-0 victory over one of the tournament favorites Al Sadd in the round of 16 on Sunday.

Wednesday’s game comes a day before the fifth anniversary of the death of late Persepolis skipper Hadi Norouzi – who passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 30.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Hadi Norouzi on the anniversary of his passing. The players want to put in a fight tomorrow and dedicate the win to his soul,” Golmohammadi said in the pre-match press conference.

Although his side had an “exhausting game” against Al Sadd, but the Iranian manager still believes that his players “are well motivated and in good spirits.”

“We will need to consume more energy and fight in this game, but hopefully we can win and reach the next stage.”

Pakhtakor was handed the top spot in Group B after positive coronavirus tests of several players forced Saudi club Al Hilal out of the competition.

The Central Asian side then came from a goal behind to beat the other Tehran-based side Esteghlal 2-1.

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Pakhtakor: We Know Persepolis

reporter 1222 — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:26:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Pakhtakor football team coach Pieter Huistra says that Persepolis is a great team but they know the Iranian team quite well.

The Uzbekistan side will meet Persepolis of Iran on Wednesday in the AFC Campions League (west) quarter-finals.

“All three teams would have been difficult opponents,” said Pakhtakor assistant coach Pieter Huistra. “Persepolis is a great team and we know them quite well because we faced them last year in the group stage and it is champion of Iran, so we have to be ready and have to be in good shape but we are confident. We played some good games already here and we are looking forward to Wednesday to play again.”

“They had four clean sheets and we had three clean sheets, so I think we are similar teams. Everything is possible in this game,” the Dutch coach stated.

“We believe in ourselves and we will be ready for this game. We played two teams from Iran already in this competition, so we are getting used to it. Iranian teams are always strong, we know that. It will be an exciting and strong game,” he added.

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Persepolis to Play with Pakhtakor at 2020 ACL in Quarter

reporter 1222 — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 09:52:55 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Persepolis football team from Iran was drawn to meet Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in the 2020 AFC Champions League (West) quarter-finals following the draw in Doha on Monday.

Al-Nassr will also face Al-Ahli Saudi in an all-Saudi Arabia tie.

Both quarter-finals will be played at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday, with Saturday’s semi-final also to be played at the same venue. The two quarter-finals and semi-final will be one-legged affairs.

None of the four West Zone quarter-finalists have won the AFC Champions League before, with Al-Ahli Saudi and Persepolis finishing runners-up in 2012 and 2018 respectively. Al-Ahli Saudi was also runner-up in the 1985-86 season of the Asian Club Championship.

Pakhtakor was semi-finalist in 2003 and 2004 while Al-Nassr, runner-up in the 1995 Asian Club Championship, will be appearing in its second successive AFC Champions League quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals
Fixtures

Al-Nassr (KSA) vs Al-Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)
Wednesday 16:40 (UTC +3)

Persepolis FC (IRN) vs Pakhtakor (UZB)
Wednesday 20:45 (UTC +3)

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Persepolis’s Alekasir, Top of OPTA Rankings in Round of 16

reporter 1222 — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 09:50:00 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Persepolis FC’s matchwinner Issa Alekasir topped the OPTA rankings of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 (WEST).

After the conclusion of four thrilling Round of 16 ties, OPTA, the AFC’s official data provider, have compiled their list of candidates for the Player of the Week.

Alekasir topped the OPTA rankings for this week as the striker scored the tie’s only goal as the Tehran giant eliminated home side Al-Sadd SC following a 1-0 win on Sunday.

The 30-year-old forward, who was also nominated for the Matchday Six Player of the Week award, netted for the second time in consecutive matches and he was a constant threat up front for the Iranian side with five shots on goal, two aerials won and two duels won for his 7.7 OPTA rating.

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