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Qatar’s Al Duhail take a slender 1-0 lead into the return meeting with Iran’s Persepolis in what may be the tightest of four AFC Champions League second-leg quarterfinal clashes.

Almoez Ali scored the only goal of the game in Doha to maintain Al Duhail’s 100 per cent record as they matched Ulsan Hyundai’s nine successive wins from the 2012 competition.

One more victory would set a new record for a single campaign, although Ulsan did record 11 wins in a row between 2012 and 2014.

Persepolis, though, have won all four of their games in front of home fans and recovered from a first-leg deficit against Al Jazira in the Round of 16. They have conceded just once at the Azadi Stadium and are chasing a second consecutive semifinal.

Al Duhail had won all six matches in Group B, that also included the UAE’s Al Wahda, Iran’s Zob Ahan and Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv, to finish with a perfect 18 points.

Al Duhail then registered an 8-3 aggregate victory over the UAE’s Al Ain in the Round of 16 to book their quarterfinal dates with Persepolis.

On the other hand, Persepolis underlined their credentials by topping Group C ahead of another top Qatari side Al Sadd, the UAE’s Al Wasl and Uzbekistan’s Nasaf.

They booked a second successive quarterfinal berth with a dramatic late victory over the UAE’s Al Jazira in the last 16.

Al Duhail will be bolstered by the presence of Karim Boudiaf, who returned to the squad after recovering from a surgery to correct a knee injury that he suffered during their Sheikh Jassim Cup loss to Al Rayyan.

The Red Knights also have South Korean attacking midfielder Nam Tae-Hee, Moroccan spearhead Yousef El Arabi, Brazilian forward Paolo Edmilson and young striker Almoez Ali to deliver the goods.

Source: qsl.qa

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