AFCL - Seyed Mohamad Salehi scored for the third time in two games as Iranian side Sepahan earned a crucial 1-0 away victory against Saudi league champions Al Shabab on Wednesday to go top of Group D in the AFC Champions League.
The 25-year-old striker, who netted both of Sepahan’s goals in their 2-1 win against Syrian side Al Ittihad two weeks ago, was on target again seven minutes from time as the Hafzi Cup holders stunned the crowd of 8,000 at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
The win put Sepahan on top of their group with a maximum six points, three ahead of Al Shabab and five in front of both Al Ittihad and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, who drew 1-1 in the other group game in Syria.
Al Shabab were missing striker Waleed Al Gizani and defender Zaid Al Mowalad through injury but the home side still enjoyed the majority of possession in the game.
Ghanaian striker Godwin Attram threatened early on, forcing a save out of Sepahan goalkeeper Armenak Petrosyan with an 18th minute shot and then meeting Nashat Akram’s cross with a header a minute later that produced another good stop by Petrosyan.
Sepahan playmaker Emad Mohammed was well marshalled by the Al Shabab defence but the Iraq international beat the Saudi side’s offside trap in the 29th minute and drove towards goal only to see his shot go just wide of Mohammed Khojah’s left upright.
Al Shabab continued to enjoy more of the possession in the second half and seven minutes after the break, Attram went close again when he sprinted between three defenders to meet Nashat Akram's through ball only for the advancing Petrosyan to deny him once again.
Akram was replaced by Naji Majrashi in the 59th minute and the substitute had an opportunity to make an instant impact with a fierce shot from distance that was turned aside by Petrosyan for a corner.
Majrishi squandered another opportunity in the 76th minute when his close range effort went just wide of the right post.
That miss would prove costly as Sepahan took the lead against the run of play in the 83rd minute when Seyed Mohamad Salehi ran clear after beating the Al Shabab offside trap and calmly rounded Khojah before putting the ball into the net for the only goal of the game.