Bashar Resan Hails Persepolis' Defensive Resilience
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bashar Resan hailed Persepolis' defensive resilience after the Iran side advanced to a third AFC Champions League semi-final in four years with a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor on Wednesday.
Issa Alekasir's second half brace at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium secured the win but Iraqi midfielder Resan said it was the good work at the back which powered Persepolis to victory.
“We have great defensive strength and this helped us reach the semi-final,” Resan told the-afc.com. “It is not easy for our opponents to score against us.”
“In the six matches that we have played in Qatar, we only conceded one goal and it was from a penalty. This shows that our system has worked well,” he added.
Resan admitted that Pakhtakor had made it very difficult for his side despite the Uzbekistan outfit being reduced to 10 men following Jaloliddin Masharipov's sending off in the 15th minute.
“It was a difficult match against an organized side,” he said. “Pakhtakor was affected by the red card, especially that it happened so early in the match. That definitely helped us.”
“We took advantage of this and scored two goals early in the second period. In general it was a good match from the team but we were tired as we put in a lot of effort in the (Round of 16) match against Al-Sadd.”
Persepolis will face Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr in Saturday's semi-final and Resan said they are ready as they target a second AFC Champions League final appearance in three years, having finished runners-up to Kashima Antlers of Japan in 2018.
“We played six matches in Qatar and all were decisive,” said Resan. “We must forget this match and start preparing for Al-Nassr with an aim of reaching the final.
“Our technical staff have watched Al-Nassr and they have analyzed their weaknesses and strengths. We will prepare to give our best on Saturday.”
