Al-Ittihad, led by Argentine Marcelo Gallardo, qualified for the round of 16 of the Asian Champions League by defeating Sepahan of Iran 2-1 on the last date of the group stage and finished in first position in Zone C.
The goals of the Arab club made them Saleh Al-Amri and Jotawhile the temporary tie for the Iranian club was scored by the defender Ramin Rezaeian.
Gallardo could not count on Karim Benzema since he is injured and has several weeks of recovery.
The “Muñeco” team started the match in a promising way, and in the first 15 minutes of play they managed to break the tie thanks to an impressive free kick goal from Al-Amriwho finished from the left corner of the area, hanging the ball in the corner.
Near the end of the first half, Abderrazak Hamdallah He fell in the area, prompting the referee to award a penalty. However, after reviewing the play on VAR, he overturned his decision and reprimanded the striker for simulating.
The second half started in the worst way for the former River coach.
After a past center, Rezaeian He found himself alone, headed and, with a rebound on the ground, managed to equalize the score for the Iranians.
However, the locals reacted quickly and, after 24 minutes, Hamdallah performed a brilliant maneuver in the middle of the field to provide an excellent assist to Jot. He gained speed, surpassed the goalkeeper and scored the goal that sealed the final 2-1.
With this marker, Al-Ittihad of Marcelo Gallardo consolidated itself as the leader of Group C by reaching 15 points and left the Iranian team Sepahan below, which accumulated 10 points, like the Iraqi team Al Jawiya.
On the other hand, AGMK of Uzbekistan finished in last position without adding units.
Source: Ambito
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