Al Shamal's Riyad Mahrez (centre) in action.
Doha, Qatar: Al Shamal SC suffered their first defeat in their debut AFC Champions League Elite campaign after Jasir Asani struck in stoppage time to earn Iran’s Esteghlal FC a 1-0 victory at Basra International Stadium yesterday.
Just when Al Shamal appeared set to take a point from a closely contested match, Asani found the net in the 90+1 minute, finishing off a brilliant solo run and assist from Mohammadhossein Eslami to leave the Qatari side disappointed.
“We had bad luck in today’s match, which we lost in the final minutes due to small details that led to this result,” Al Shamal coach David Prats said after the loss.
“We played with our identity, ambition and desire to win. Unfortunately, we did not achieve the best result at the last moment.”
The defeat left Al Shamal with five points from four matches, while Esteghlal moved up to third in the standings with nine points.
Back in action following their memorable 3-1 victory over Saudi giants Al Hilal, Al Shamal struggled to find their attacking rhythm against a disciplined Esteghlal defence in the first half.
Baghdad Bounedjah was their main attacking threat, forcing goalkeeper Habib Far Abbasi into two important saves in quick succession.
Far Abbasi first denied the Algerian forward’s effort from inside the box in the 16th minute before stopping another attempt four minutes later.
Esteghlal also threatened, with Babacar Seck saving Saman Fallah’s long-range effort early on. The Iranian side missed a golden opportunity just before the break when Saleh Hardani shot wide from close range after being set up by Jaloliddin Masharipov.
The second half brought more urgency from both sides.
Seck produced an excellent diving save to deny Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia shortly after the restart, while Al Shamal looked to respond through Wesley Said and Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez saw an effort blocked in the 66th minute, while Federico Bais also threatened from distance as Al Shamal pushed for a breakthrough.
With the match heading towards a draw, Al Shamal increased the pressure.
Mahrez forced another save from Far Abbasi before Omar Ali narrowly missed the target with a header from Youssouf Sabaly’s cross in the 90th minute.
But Esteghlal had the final say. Eslami made a superb run through the Al Shamal defence before setting up Asani, who calmly finished into the bottom corner to snatch all three points.
There was further frustration for Al Shamal when Sabaly was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 90+4 minute.
