(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Lekhwiya missed out on a quarter-final place in the AFC Champions League following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Iranian side Persepolis on Tuesday.
Red Knights defender Chico Flores scored an own goal midway through the first half to hand the Iranian side a 1-0 victory in the second leg of the Round of 16 to advance by the same score line on aggregate. Persepolis grabbed a crucial away goal at Al Sadd Stadium when Vahid Amiri released Mehdi Taremi, whose low ball across goal was diverted into his own net by Flores.
Lekhwiya looked to get back into the match in the second half, introducing returning strike Yousef El Arabi shortly after the interval. The QSL's leading scorer almost had an immediate impact but his close-range effort from Nam Tae-hee's pass was deflected onto the crossbar and over.
Lekhwiya continued to probe but, despite dominating possession, were struggling to break through a resilient Persepolis backline and Farshad Ahmadzadeh almost killed the tie off when he had a rare sight on goal for the visitors with six minutes remaining but stabbed just wide.
Youssef Msakni and Nam's late misses summed up the hosts' misery as Persepolis held firm to qualify for the last eight, while Lekhwiya fell at the Round of 16 for the second successive year.
As opposed to last time, when Lekhwiya didn't manage to see too much of the ball, the Qatari side enjoyed more possession in the second leg. They had 58% possession but it was their inability to convert that advantage into goal-scoring opportunities that cost them the match. Lekhwiya had fired 10 shots at the opposition's goal but only two were on target. In comparison, Persepolis had just seven shots on target out of which two were on target. Lekhwiya even had 10 shots from inside the box but they couldn't find the target.
In the first leg, Lekhwiya had chosen to sit back and defend and emerge with a goalless draw. The plan was to then use the home ground scenario to their advantage. But despite correctly executing the first part of the plan, they fell short in the second leg.
With Persepolis having the advantage of away goals, Lekhwiya needed to ensure that they walked a fine line between attack and defence. Conceding an own goal in the 23rd minute of the game was a bad start and they simply could not overcome that hurdle.
Having come so close to securing a quarter-final slot, the home side will be left ruing their inability to convert possession into goals.
The other seven clubs to reach the quarter-finals are former continental champions Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Guangzhou Evergrande, Al Hilal, Japan's Kawasaki Frontale, Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli and China's Shanghai SIPG.
MENAFN0106201700670000ID1095527749
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.