Mansourian vows to work out weaknesses after narrow defeat

AFC – TEHRAN, Alireza Mansourian has vowed to stamp out the errors in judgement that saw his side slip to a 1-0 defeat at home to Al Ahli in the first-leg of their 2015 AFC Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

Both clubs are appearing in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League for the first time and while Naft showed on several occasions that they carry a significant threat from set-pieces it was the visitors that got the only goal of the game through Lima’s 62nd minute diving header.

Despite being unable to find a way on to the scoresheet, the Iranians can console themselves that the damage was not worse going into the second leg with Lima, a marquee signing from Portuguese giants Benfica and compatriot Everton Ribeiro, who was part of Brazil’s squad for the 2014 Copa America, proving a particular threat to Naft.

Even though the margin between the teams remains fine, Mansourian (pictured) was disappointed with the manner in which his team conceded the game’s only goal.

“We conceded a goal due to my players being careless,” said the former Iran international midfielder. “That is what I was afraid of during the whole 90 minutes of the match.

But by losing by just a solitary goal Mansourian knows that a win of any kind for Naft wil – at the very least – insure the game either goes into extra time or that the Iranians will advance by virtue of the away goals rule.

And the 43-year-old, whose playing career took him to clubs in Singapore, Greece, and Germany as well as his native Iran, has vowed to get his Naft players in the right mindset for the second leg in Dubai on September 16 having seen the UAE side have the psychological edge at the Azadi.

“Al Ahli were smarter than us and managed to score a goal. We lost the first leg match, but we have some days to work on out weaknesses and instruct our players – especially the younger ones – on some factors to get everyone ready for the second match.”