ACL Group C - MD1: Iran’s Persepolis Beaten by Al Duhail of Qatar

With just five minutes gone, Almoez Ali’s persistence coupled with a lack of discipline from Persepolis defender Hossein Kananizadegan allowed Mandzukic to get his first goal in Asia’s prime club competition from close range.

In the 13th minute, Al Duhail was again the more alert of the two sides, capitalizing on another defensive mistake as Han Kwang-song collected the loose ball at the edge of the area and set up Edmilson with a deft through pass. The Brazilian fired low with his left to put the game beyond doubt with less than a quarter of an hour played.

Caught in between attempting to equalize and being cautious of increased damage, Persepolis was far from its best. Its sole clear-cut chance of the first half was a header from center-back Shojae Khalilzadeh that narrowly missed the target.

As the second half wore off, Persepolis’ chances began becoming more serious and Ighodaro Osaguona nearly scored from Ahmad Noorollahi’s cross, but the Nigerian’s effort was saved by goalkeeper Amine Lecomte.

Substitute Anthony Stokes was close to scoring on his continental debut on two occasions, but his first effort was off target and the second forced a fine Lecomte save to deny him and keep the score at 2-0.

The result means Al Duhail tops Group C after all teams had played their first match, with Al Taawoun second with three points. Meanwhile, Sharjah and Persepolis occupy the last two spots respectively.

Persepolis travels to Sharjah next week, while Al Duhail makes the trip west to Buraidah where it faces Al Taawoun on Matchday Two.