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AFCCL - Sepahan coach Luka Bonacic expressed
delight on Wednesday after seeing his side take a big step towards the AFC
Champions League final with a 3-1 win over 10-man Al Wahda in the first leg
of the semi-finals.
Striker Mahmoud Karimi scored a goal in each half and also earned a late
penalty, which was converted by captain Moharram Navidkia six minutes from
time to put the Iranian Hazfi Cup holders in command at Foolad Shahr
Stadium.
Mohamed Al Shehhi briefly levelled the score early in the second half but
the visitors, who had to play for nearly an hour with 10 men after defender
Yasser Abdullah was sent off, have an uphill task for the return match in
Abu Dhabi.
"This was a great night and I congratulate the players," said Bonacic.
"We started the match well and we continued to play well throughout. But Al
Wahda are a good team who play good football and we will have to concentrate
if we are to win the second leg."
Sepahan, who have won Iran's Hazfi Cup for the past two seasons, were
unrecognisable from the timid side that scraped passed Japan's Kawasaki
Frontale on penalties in the quarter- finals.
"Apart from a couple of mistakes, we played well and were the better team
from start to finish," the Croat added.
However, Bonacic had to defend himself for a piece of gamesmanship after
Navidkia had netted his side’s third goal from the penalty spot.
The ball rolled to him on the touchline but instead of picking it up and
throwing it back to the players, he showed off some of his ball skills, much
to the annoyance of his opposite number, Ivo Wortmann.
"I used to be a player so I'm used to controlling the ball with my feet and
not my hands," he said in response to complaints from Wortmann.
"I didn't mean to disrespect them."
Sepahan's win was tarnished by a serious-looking injury to key defender Hadi
Aghily. Bonacic admitted that he could miss a number of matches including
the second leg in Abu Dhabi on October 24th.
But the 52-year-old is well aware of what Sepahan need to do in order to
become the first Iranian representatives in the final of Asia's showpiece
club tournament.
"I don't know what our chances of winning are in terms of percentages, but
if we play like we did tonight, we will definitely win, he concluded."
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