(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Armstrong Vas | The Peninsula
Doha: Former Juventus star Mario Mandzukic made a memorable AFC Champions League (ACL) debut as he helped Al Duhail to a 2-0 win over Iran's Persepolis at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in their opening Group C match yesterday.
Elsewhere, in Riyadh, former champions Al Sadd were held to an exciting 2-2 draw at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium by Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr in the Group D match yesterday.
Playing at home, Al Duhail meant business right from kick off and two goals within a span of eight minutes in the first quarter of the match settled the issue in favour of the hosts.
Coach Walid Regragui's side struck first in the 5th minute and followed it up with a goal in the 13 minute. Mandzukic giving the lead and Edmilson Jr. consolidating the lead in the 13th minute.
With just five minutes gone, Almoez Ali's persistence coupled with a lack of discipline from Persepolis defender allowed Mandzukic to get his first goal in Asia's premier club competition.
The Iranian defenders stopped playing and protested an alleged shove by the Croatian as the ball fell to Ali who caught it before it went out of play, then crossed for Mandzukic who was left with a simple header from close range to open the scoring.
In the 13th minute, Al Duhail were again the more alert of the two sides, capitalising on another defensive mistake as Han Kwang-song collected the loose ball at the edge of the area and set up Edmilson Jr. with a deft through pass.
The Brazilian fired low with his left to put the game beyond doubt with less than a quarter of an hour played.
Caught in between attempting to equalise and being cautious of increased damage, Persepolis were far from their best. Their sole clear-cut chance of the first half was a header from centre-back Shojae Khalilzadeh that narrowly missed the target.
As the second half wore off, Persepolis' chances began becoming more serious and Ighodaro Osaguona nearly scored from Ahmad Noorollahi's cross, but the Nigerian's effort was saved by goalkeeper Amine Lecomte.
Substitute Anthony Stokes was close to scoring on his continental debut on two occasions, but his first effort was off target and the second forced a fine Lecomte save to deny him and keep the score at 2-0. The result means Al Duhail top Group C after all teams had played their first match, with Al Taawoun second with three points. Meanwhile, Sharjah and Persepolis occupy the last two spots respectively.
In Riyadh, the clash between Al Sadd and Al Nassr was a repeat of the quarter-finals of the previous edition, with the first leg ending in a 2-1 home victory for Al Nassr.
The hosts romped to a quick start, taking the lead inside seven minutes through Abderazzaq Hamdallah. The Moroccan striker found space inside the Al Sadd box to receive Yahya Al Shehri's through pass and convert into the back of the net.
The home fans' joy lasted just two minutes as Baghdad Bounedjah struck the equaliser for Al Sadd in the ninth minute. The Algerian beat his marker and connected with Pedro Miguel's low cross from the right to restore parity.
The scenario was repeated in the second half with both teams finding the net in the first ten minutes. This time, however, it was Al Sadd who scored first.
Miguel intercepted Al Shehri's attempted long pass inside Al Nassr's half and supplied and overhead pass to skipper Hassan Al Haydos who cut into his left foot and coolly slotted past Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones in the 48th minute.
Five minutes later, Al Nassr left-back Abdulrahman Al Obeid pounced on a poor defensive clearance to unleash a powerful drive into the top corner, bringing the game level again.
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