Kranjcar lauds team efforts in thrilling win

AFC – ESFAHAN, Sepahan Head Coach Zlatko Kranjcar lauded the fighting spirit of his players on Wednesday after they came from behind in difficult conditions to beat Al Hilal 3-2 in an AFC Champions League Group D clash at Foolad Shahr Stadium.

The Iranian side trailed 2-1 at the break after set-piece goals by Segundo Castillo and Thiago Neves had cancelled out Ervin Bulku’s opener for the home side.

But as heavy rain lashed down in the second half, magnificent long-range strikes by Mehdi Sharifi and Xhevahir Sukaj secured victory for Sepahan and put them back on track in the AFC Champions League after an opening 3-1 loss to Al Sadd,
“As I had predicted it was a very tough match. We conceded twice in a short time span and went into our locker room as the losers,” said the Sepahan boss.

“The climate made it an even tougher clash for us, but we did our best from the very first moment to take the initiative.

“But congratulations to my players who never got down after falling behind and tried until the very last moment. This was a hard-fought win for us and we were generously rewarded with three valuable points.

“In such weather circumstance it’s always a good idea to try score with a shot and that’s what we did this evening.”
Al Hilal coach Sami Al Jaber was far from pleased with the dropped points.

“We didn’t deserve to lose all three points. We had many chances that we missed and the goals we conceded were because of personal mistakes,” said the Saudi football legend.

“This match should have ended in a draw, but the climate had affected the pitch. I’m proud of my team and players and we’re not disappointed.

“There are another four matches for us to play and once against I reiterate that we didn’t deserve to lose.”