Tractor dominated the tie but failed to find a breakthrough with Abdali confident his team will complete its task in next week’s return leg at home.

“I am very happy with the result. The ball is still in the field. This was the first half of the match and I hope we advance to the next stage. I would like to thank the players,” said Abdali.

“To be honest, one of the factors was the playing field. I don't know what the problem was, but the field affected our performance. We always play possession football, but the field didn't allow us to do that,” he added.

“The same problem occurred for Tractor. I don't know if it was because of the hardness of the field or the cold weather but in the second leg, you can be sure that we will have more possession of the ball on our own field,” he concluded.