Persepolis played better in second half against Al Sadd: Jalal Hosseini

Tasnim – TEHRAN, Persepolis captain Jalal Hosseini hailed a great second-half performance as the Iran giant came from a goal down against Al Sadd in the second leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-final to secure a 1-1 draw and progress to its maiden final following a 2-1 aggregate win.

The Tehran side began the match with a one-goal advantage from the first leg in Doha and an expectant Azadi Stadium was full to capacity, generating an atmosphere that would have rivalled anything the competition has ever seen.

“Two of the best clubs in Asia were playing each other as Al Sadd is a very good team,” said Hosseini, who scored crucial goals in both the last 16 and quarter-final.

“We started one goal in front and because of that we were a little defensive at the beginning, but the Al Sadd goal allowed us to start being ourselves again and we were able to perform as we like to and control the match.

“We gave a great performance in the second half, pushed forward and got the goal. In the second half you saw a much better performance,” he added.

Branko Ivankovic’s side’s knockout stage campaign has been a rollercoaster affair, with dramatic come-from-behind wins over Al Jazira and Al Duhail at Azadi Stadium sealing a second successive semi-final berth.

“[The coach] told us at half-time that whether we were behind or in front, we needed to play our way. Even before the match he asked us to attack, but we weren’t able to in the first half. We got much better after the break,” added Hosseini.

“The most important part of this victory was making our supporters happy because they did so much for us. I’m so happy and I hope we can also do well the in two hard matches in the final,” Hosseini concluded.