Shabab Al Ahli’s pursuit of a first continental title will continue after they beat 10-man Tractor in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite.
On an emotionally charged evening in Jeddah, the Dubai club beat the Iranian champions 3-0 to advance to the main finals phase of the competition.
For some time last month, it seemed certain the UAE representatives might progress from this fixture without even having to play.
Iran’s sports ministry had reportedly banned Tractor – and all other Iranian sides – from travelling for fixtures on hostile territory, such as Saudi Arabia.
However, the situation in the region reached the point where they were able to travel. They acquitted themselves well, but were eventually downed by an opposition who had a couple of very familiar faces.
The UAE champions have two outstanding Iranian internationals. Each featured prominently. Saeed Ezatolahi scored the decisive second goal in the second half, which extinguished any lingering hopes his countrymen had of fighting back.
Tractor were already up against unlikely odds at that stage, down 1-0 to a coolly taken penalty by Yuri Cesar, the Shabab Al Ahli forward.
Plus, they were down a player, following an incident involving Sardar Azmoun, the storied Shabab Al Ahli striker from Iran. Alireza Beiranvand, Tractor’s Iran national team goalkeeper, was sent off after 51 minutes for sending Azmoun tumbling when he was breaking through on goal.
The UAE side had the lead 10 minutes later from the spot, after Shojae Khalilzadeh, Tractor’s captain, was ruled to have elbowed Sultan Adil in the face after a VAR review. Yuri Cesar placed the penalty past Marko Johansson, the replacement goalkeeper.
Ezatolahi essentially ended the contest when he struck the second, after 80 minutes.
Tractor had not played any competitive football in 47 days. Their last game had been on February 26, two days before the United States announced it had launched attacks on Iran.
Given that fallow period, as well as the journey to get to Jeddah which involved a five-hour coach trip to Turkey and two flights thereafter, it was no surprise they looked sluggish at the start.
They certainly were not alone in that. Shabab Al Ahli’s excuse for looking off key was the polar opposite, though.
The two clubs could scarcely have had more opposing build ups. While Tractor’s players have been kicking their heels, waiting for a ceasefire to permit them to return to play, the Dubai side have had a surfeit of big matches.
In recent times they have seen their prospects of adding more trophies to the domestic double they won last season diminish. Most recently, that was via physically and emotionally sapping 3-2 loss to Al Ain on Friday night which will likely see them concede their UAE Pro League title as a result.
Neither could the two sets of players bank on any energy coming their way from the stands. Even without the escalation of conflict in the region, this fixture would likely have been played on neutral territory.
That has frequently been the case for games involving Iranian reams in continental competition in the recent past.
Iran’s representatives in this competition last year, Esteghlal, coincidentally played their home game against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr at Shabab Al Ahli’s ground in Dubai.
Ticket sales for this game – rescheduled and tacked on to the start of the Champions League Elite Finals – had been pitiful. At least it was being played at the smaller of the two venues that are hosting this event, but the echoes still reverberated around the 25,000-seater Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium.
The only action of note in the first phase was a booking, 14 minutes in, for Ezatolahi for a tactical foul.
The towering midfielder was well known to his opposition, having played more than 80 times for Iran. Along with him and Azmoun in the starting XI, a third Iranian, Mersad Seifi, was on Shabab Al Ahli’s bench.
Both of the starters played key roles in helping their side build an unassailable lead. And, as Tractor chased the game in vain, Shabab Al Ahli added a third deep into stoppage time at the end of the game.
Mateusao, a second-half substitute, scored it, having been sent through for a free run on goal by Guilherme Bala, with Thai side Buriram United next up for Shabab on Saturday.
