In the first-leg match at Fooladshahr, Brazilian Mota scored a crucial away goal for the Korean giants but in an outstanding come-back by the hosts in the second half, his fellow countryman Igor Castro and Mehdi Rajabzadeh secured a 2-1 win for Zobahan.
Despite the result, pundits continued to doubt Zobahan’s chances for the 2nd leg match but against all odds, in the return game despite being 1-0 down early in the game , the solid Iranian representatives remained resilient.
And with only ten minutes to go to the full time whistle, Zobahan bounced back and stunned the hosts, with a perfectly angled shot by Mohammad Khalatbari booking a deserved semi final spot courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Much to the disappointment of Pohang Steelers, their poor performance in the K-League and earlier stages of the ACL followed them into the quarter final.
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh’s team though are no strangers to eliminating contenders; they easily dominated star-studded Bunyodkor, Saudi giants Al Ittihad and fellow Iranians Mes Kerman to reach the quarter finals.
Zobahan | The dark horses have had a memorable run
Eyeing a domestic crown this season, they also lead the Iran Persian Gulf league. It has been proved on the continent this season that consistency and not pedigree are what counts.
Heading into the semi finals, blessed with an outstanding defense, Zobahan have a real chance of securing their spot in the final against the in-form Al Hilal.
In another West Asian quarter final match-up, as expected Saudi’s Al Hilal and Qatar’s Al Gharafa served up a close tie.
Both teams are known for their domestic success and haven't enjoyed a great deal of success in the Champions League in recent years, providing more than enough motivation for both.
In the first leg, Al Hilal almost vanquished Al Gharafa’s semi final chances with a brilliant attacking display against the visitors giving them a 3-0 win.
Mathematically speaking there wasn't much hope for Al Gharafa - missing Brazilian free-kick specialist Juninho - to turn over the result in the return game but they incredibly almost did so.
Cairo Junior’s side took the game into extra time but Eric Gerets’ men showed tremendous character to emerge overall victors despite seeming on the brink of elimination after conceding a fourth, scoring two late goals to progress.
This match will likely fill a number of sports columns throughout Asia in the coming days before the focus turns to the clash between the dark horses Zobahan and an Al Hilal side with momentum.
By: Niloofar Momeni