AFC Champions League: Al Sadd vs Persepolis [1st Leg SF Preview]

AFC – DOHA, Al Sadd host Persepolis in the first leg of the West Asia semi-final of the 2018 AFC Champions League on Tuesday, with a spot in the final of the continent’s premier football competition at stake.

This is the third IR Iran-Qatar match-up in the 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stages. The quarter-finals saw Al Sadd defeat Esteghlal 5-3 on aggregate, while Persepolis mounted a thrilling comeback in the second leg to eliminate the previously rampant Al Duhail side.

Persepolis
Al Duhail were slight favourites to qualify for the Champions League West Asia semi-final when they sealed a 1-0 win at home over Persepolis, which was their ninth victory in as many games this season. In the end, it only served to motivate the IR Iran outfit as they came roaring back from 0-1 down at half-time and clinch a 3-1 win at the Azadi Stadium.

Captain Seyed Jalal Hosseini equalised for Persepolis early in the second half to spark their comeback, before Sultan Al Brake inadvertently directed the ball past his own goalkeeper in the 76th minute to hand the hosts the lead. Al Duhail still led on away goals with time running out, but Persepolis struck again within two minutes to book a spot in the semi-final.

Godwin Mensha popped up with the crucial goal for the Tehran giants, his third strike of the competition so far. The Nigerian also scored a crucial away goal againt Al Jazira in the Round of 16 first leg, helping his side progress on away goals. Mensha hit the target with 53 percent of his shots so far, and has also provided three key passes in the AFC Champions League this season.

The 29-year-old will be a serious threat to the Al Sadd backline, and has already showed a penchant for scoring in the semi-finals, having netted twice against Al Hilal at the same stage last year. This time around, Mensha will be hoping to progress to the final, and another couple of goals could go a long way to making that happen.