Two Iranian Keepers among ACL Five Top Savers
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and Esteghlal custodian Hossein Hosseini have been chosen by the The-AFC.com among '5 of the Best'.
The two keepers will vie with Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide United), Ante Covic (Western Sydney Wanderers) and Kwoun Sun-tae (Kashima Antlers) to win the best save award in a fans poll.
Azadi Stadium was packed to its 100,000 capacity when Persepolis hosted Al Sadd in the second leg of the 2018 semi-finals and gripping tension had engulfed the venue as the game entered its final five minutes, when a goal for the visitors would have sent them through.
Jung Woo-young's inch-perfect delivery found the unmarked Xavi, but the Spaniard's header was somehow pushed over the bar by the brilliant Beiranvand. A collective sigh of relief was felt around the Azadi, and moments later Persepolis was in the final.
By 2019, Hossein Hosseini was beginning to establish himself as Esteghlal's Number 1 ahead of veteran Mehdi Rahmati, and with saves like this one to deny Al Duhail's Youssef El Arabi in the group stage, it's easy to see why.
It seemed the prolific Moroccan had been presented with an easy tap-in but, with the goal at his mercy, an outstretched Hosseini pulled off a stunning save that looks even more remarkable on the slow-motion replay.
