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AFC - Al Ain, of the United Arab Emirates,
booked their place in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League after
coming from behind to secure a 3-3 draw with Pas in Tehran on Wednesday
night.
The result, coupled with last week’s 1-1 draw in the first leg means Milan
Macala’s men go through to the last four on the away goals rule. They will
meet China’s Shenzhen Jianlibao, who beat Al Ahli, of Saudi Arabia 4-3 on
aggregate in an earlier quarter-final.
It was a cruel blow to Pas, who had dominated much of the first game in the
UAE last week and who had done the same in Tehran, where Ain looked second
best for all but the last 30 minutes of the contest.
Pas, the first Iranian side to make it to the last eight of Asia’s premier
club competition, looked to be cruising towards a place in the last four
after Arash Borhani, who scored Pas’ goal in the first leg, enhanced his
growing reputation with a goal in either half to put Mustafa Denizili’s men
2-0 up on the night – and 3-1 on aggregate.
Luis Tejada, voted the Most Valuable Player at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in
July, gave Milan Macala’s men a lifeline with a penalty on 60 minutes after
Mohammed Nosrati had brought down Nwoha Onyekachi just inside the box but,
11 minutes later, Issa Traore restored Pas’ two-gaol cushion with a header
from close range.
Al Ain, who won this competition in 2003, looked to be dead and buried but
two goals rom Helal Saeed, who missed last week’s game through injury,
brought Al Ain back to 3-3 on the night – and 4-4 on aggregate.
Up until Saeed’s intervention, it was Borhani who had been the star of the
show, the Iranian international’s pace, trickery and ability to find space
just behind the Pas front-line causing Al Ain problems all night.
After enjoying the best chances of the first 30 minutes, during which
Pezhman Jamshidi shot narrowly over for Pas and Hossein Pashaie has a shot
well stopped by an Al Ain defender, Borhani showed pace, strength and
anticipation as he latched onto Pashaie’s pass, cut inside from the
left-hand side, held off the attentions of Shebab Ahmed and fired a low
left-foot shot across Al Ain keeper Mutaz Abdulla to give the home side the
lead on 34 minutes.
The goal was no more than the home side deserved, but it did serve to rouse
Al Ain from their slumber and, two minutes before the break, Onyekachi could
have equalised but chose to cross from six yards out when he would have been
better of shooting given the Pas keeper’s poor positioning.
In added time at the end of the first half, only a brave dive by Mutaz at
Javad Nekounam’s feet prevented the Pas midfielder from tapping home after
Mutaz had parried Borhani’s initial shot-cum-cross.
The second half was only three minutes old when a piece of Borhani magic
illuminated proceedings. Picking up the ball five yards outside the Al Ain
box, and with his back to goal, the Iran national team player spun on the
ball, dropped his shoulder, wrong-footing Ali Msarri in the process, before
gliding to the box and side-footing the ball past Mutaz.
The goal deserved to be the match-winner but Al Ain had other ideas, and
after Mutaz had again saved bravely, this time at Hadi Shakouri’s feet, it
was the visitors who were the ones coursing with self-belief.
Perhaps realising the severity of their situation, Al Ain suddenly found an
extra gear and were back in the game on 60 minutes when Tejada, from Panama,
scored his first AFC Champions League goal, from the penalty spot.
Five minutes later, Borhani’s shot inches over the bar from a good position
but it wasn’t to matter as Traore leapt above Juma Khater on 71 minutes to
head home Nekounam’s corner from the right.
That looked to be that, but still Al Ain came and Tejada nearly reduced the
arrears again for Macala’s side when his low shot on the turn was well-held
by Nima Nakisa, the Pas keeper.
Nakisa was powerless to prevent Saeed pulling one back for Al Ain, the
midfielder’s first-time shot from Ali Al Wehaibi’s cut-back bouncing in off
the inside of the post.
But, a minute later, Nakisa, in for the suspended Hassan Roudbarian, who was
sent off in the first leg, was at certainly at fault as Saeed shot, more in
hope than expectation, from seven yards out and the ball bounced off the
keeper’s chest and squirmed over the line to give Al Ain a draw that has
seemed out of their reach a few minutes earlier.
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