Sharjah and Persepolis share spoils; Al Nassr rally to pip Al Ain

There was a fine display of attacking football at the Sharjah Stadium as Sharjah and Persepolis played out a 2-2 draw in Matchday Two of the AFC Champions League Group C match on Tuesday.

Both sides went into the match hopeful of overturning a rough patch; Sharjah had lost their last three games in the competition, although two of those dated back to their last appearance in 2004. Persepolis, meanwhile, had lost four of their last six. It wasn’t long after kick-off that the first real chance of the match produced the opener.

Mahdi Torabi supplied a defence-splitting pass that left the Sharjah players watching as Ali Alipour made a run behind their lines and struck first-time with his left past Adel Al Hosani in the ninth minute.

The home fans erupted with joy in the 25th minute as Mohammed Khalfan drove home Sharjah’s first goal of the 2020 AFC Champions League.

A well-worked attacking move saw Al Hassan Saleh supply Caio inside the box and the winger crossed for Khalfan who was well-positioned to convert it past Alireza Beiranvand for the equaliser.

Persepolis’ response was instant, straight from the subsequent kick-off.

The Iranian players exchanged 14 passes before Torabi and Alipour combined again to find the back of the net. It was again Torabi who supplied the pass and Alipour hitting the target from the edge of the box to restore the visitors’ lead in the 27th minute.

Just before the half came to a close, Sharjah found an equaliser again. Ryan Mendes collected a loose ball on the right flank and advanced into the box before unleashing a powerful drive into the roof of the net to make it 2-2.

Unlike the first half, there was little in the way of clear-cut chances for either side in the second 45 minutes as the two sides settled for a point each at the end of 90 minutes.

The result, coupled with Al Taawoun’s 2-0 victory over Al Duhail in the other Group C match, means Al Taawoun top the table with six points, while Al Duhail are second with three points. Persepolis are third ahead of Sharjah courtesy of their two away goals, with both sides collecting a point.

Sharjah travel to Doha to play Al Duhail next, while Persepolis play Al Taawoun on Matchday Three.

In another match, Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr came from behind to defeat UAE’s Al Ain 2-1 at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.

Al Nassr came into the game with a point to their name, having drawn with Al Sadd 2-2 in Riyadh, while Al Ain were hoping to put an end to their worst-ever run in the competition, having lost four consecutive matches, including a 4-0 defeat by Sepahan at home last week.

Al Ain got their first chance of the game after 11 minutes as Ahmed Barman supplied a sublime pass behind the Saudi defence for Kodjo Laba who controlled well, but miscued his shot with only the goalkeeper to beat, sending it wide.

Seven minutes later, Laba was more accurate as a creator. The Togolese striker dispossessed Al Nassr left-back Abdulrahman Al Obaid near his penalty box and squared for the onrushing Omar Yaseen who slotted home the opener in the 18th minute.

Abderazzak Hamdallah tried his luck with a curled effort from the edge of the box in the 26th minute, and again from a set-piece in a similar position, but in both occasions his effort narrowly missed the target.

The visitors’ pressure finally delivered 12 minutes after the restart as Amrabat delivered a cross into the near post from an angled free-kick and Mukhtar Ali stabbed stabbed the ball past Khaled Eisa to draw Al Nassr level.

Amrabat nearly doubled the scoring in the 61st minute. Al Obaid latched onto to a cross-field diagonal pass and fed Amrabat at the edge of the box.

The Moroccan attempted a curled effort, but his shot was tipped behind by Al Ain goalkeeper Khaled Eisa.

Hamdallah was finally rewarded for his tireless work throughout the night with just 10 minutes to go on the clock.

The gift came from Eisa who left his area to collect a long ball, but ended up giving it away under the pressure of the Moroccan striker who took possession near the corner flag and found the back of the net with an expert finish from a tight angle to win it for Al Nassr.

The result means Al Nassr are on four points from their first two games ahead of an away encounter with Sepahan in two weeks’ time.

Al Ain remain bottom of the group with no points and host Al Sadd on Matchday Three.