Sumayhan Al Nabit’s well taken opener was canceled out by substitute Shahriyar Moghanlou’s strike midway through the second half and Sepahan hit the post twice as the two sides played out an exciting encounter after the group hosts had managed an emphatic 3-0 win four days earlier.
“We deserved to get the three points, not a draw,” said Navidkia. “I think we played a very good match against Al-Taawoun, especially after the many chances we created during the two halves of the match.”
“We were surprised by the goal scored by Al-Taawoun at the beginning of the second half which created some chaos in our team. We imposed ourselves and managed to score the equalizer but then missed dangerous chances that could have given us victory,” he stated.
“During the last training session, we tried to focus on how to end the attacks in the right way. We had a specific plan for this match and I think we were very close to getting the three points. The competition is still going on and we strive to maintain our hopes of qualifying until the last minute. We missed the win as a result of a lack of focus,” the Sepahan coach added.