Persepolis Powers Past Sharjah to Seal ACL Last 16 Berth
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Three first-half headers helped Iran’s Persepolis football team to a 4-0 win over Sharjah of the UAE and a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League Round of 16 from Group C on Thursday.
Persepolis came racing out of the blocks and within two minutes they were in front after Ehsan Pahlevan displayed great skill to get past two players down the left and cross for Shojae Khalilzadeh who headed home his second goal of the campaign.
Three minutes before the end of the first half, Persepolis doubled its advantage. Following an out-swinging Bashar Resan corner, Al Kasir climbed unmarked and powered in a header that clipped Adel Al Hosani’s hand and went into the back of the net despite the Sharjah goalkeeper’s best efforts.
Just as the half headed to a close, Vahid Amiri made it a trio of headed goals for Persepolis. The Iran international winger found space at the far post to head in a Pahlevan cross from the left in an identical fashion to Khalilzadeh’s opener.
With just seconds to go, Persepolis signed off with a fourth goal as substitutes Arman Ramzani and Mehdi Abdi combined with the former setting up a header that Abdi converted from inside the box to make it 4-0 at the final whistle.
Al-Taawoun’s 1-0 win over Al-Duhail in the other Group C fixture means Persepolis topped the group and will face Group D runner-up Al-Sadd in the Round of 16, while Al-Taawoun progress as runner-up and set-up an all-Saudi clash against Al-Nassr in the next round.
