Ferreira rues first leg as Al Sadd exit

After suffering a 1-0 defeat at home in the first leg, Al Sadd made a bright start in Tehran and levelled the aggregate score through Baghdad Bounedjah in the 17th minute.

However, Siamak Nemati’s volleyed strike right after half-time restored Persepolis’ advantage, and the Iranians kept the visitors at bay for the rest of the game to go through to the final 2-1 on aggregate.

“We played well in both legs but we could not make use of the chances which came our way,” said Ferreira.

“In the first leg, we conceded a penalty that led to our defeat and the exit from the tournament. This is how football is.

“The first leg result made things difficult for us. We played 90 minutes of offensive football [in the second leg], trying to win the game in any way we could but we were unable to do it.”

Al Sadd side dominated the first half, but Persepolis came out strongly after the interval as they aimed to produce yet another stirring performance at Azadi Stadium.

The game remained on a knife edge as the game entered its final 10 minutes and Xavi could have sent Al Sadd into the final, only to see his header tipped over the bar from a world-class save from Alireza Beiranvand.

“Persepolis had a fantastic game and most of their players did well, especially the goalkeeper Beiranvand,” added Ferreira.

“What he did was amazing. He was the difference against us. He is truly a great goalkeeper; he fought and kept out our attack. There may have been other good players in the Persepolis team but the one who made the result possible was Beiranvand.

“We wasted many chances at home and also at the Azadi and we weren’t able to score more than one goal. But I must admit, it’s great to play in Iran. As coaches and players, we love it because this is the proper atmosphere of football.”