Tractor Sazi slumps again to Al Ahli in 2018 AFC Champions League

Iranian professional soccer club Tractor Sazi Tabriz, also known as Tractor, has once again suffered a defeat from Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the group stage of the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.

Tractor Sazi suffered a 0-2 loss from the Jeddah-based team at the end of a Group A fixture in Al-Ain, the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday evening.

The Iranians started the match with determination, and had their first chance 11 minutes into the game, when Mohammad Ebrahimi's volley went wide after an impressive cross from Mohammad Iranpourian.

In the 15th minute, Al Ahli’s 30-year-old Brazilian midfielder Claudemir Domingues de Souza, commonly known as Claudemir, was replaced with Waleed Bakhashwain.

Tractor soccer players threatened again, and Ebrahimi sent a free-kick to Mohammadreza Mehdizadeh, whose header went above the bar.

The Iranian footballers were awarded a penalty kick in the 19th minute, when Al Ahli defender Aqeel Balghaith committed a foul on Amir Motahari.

Tractor’s captain Mehdi Kiani, however, failed to convert as he his shot hit the right post.

In the final minutes of the first half, the Saudis launched several dangerous attacks as Taiseer Al Jassam delivered a pass to Mohannad Aseri, who fired a shot that went high.

Jassam then managed to break through Tractor’s defense, but his attempt was of no avail and his shot sailed wide off the far corner.

After the break, Aseri opened the scoring for Al Ahli when he buried a powerful strike into the right corner of the net in the 49th minute.

Al Ahli extended its lead later on after Moamen Zakaria pounced on a poor defensive clearance and fire homed in the added time. The Saudi outfit advanced to the next round of the AFC Champions League following the victory.

Zob Ahan fall to Al Duhail in AFC Champions League

In another match of the day, Iranian football club Zob Ahan Isfahan lost to Qatar’s Al Duhail 10 in a Group B fixture at Foolad Shahr Stadium just outside Isfahan, central Iran. 

Both teams had a number of chances during the first half, but neither side managed to pose any real danger for their opponents.

Things improved after the restart, and Zob Ahan players came close to scoring on multiple occasions.

Brazilian striker Kiros could have put the hosts in the lead in the 52nd minute. However, Al Duhail keeper Amine Lecomte pulled off a fine save and parried his shot from inside the box.

In the 76th minute, Morteza Tabrizi set up Milad Fakhreddini with a cross, but once again, Lecomte showed fine reflexes to keep the effort out.

Al Duhail finally broke the deadlock in the 84th minute, when Ismail Mohammad tapped into an empty goal following Sultan Al Brake's precise pass from the left.

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