Esteghlal loses to FC Seoul in ACL semis

Esteghlal lost to FC Seoul in the first leg of the semifinals of Asian Champions League on Wednesday. 

 The Iranian representative was defeated 2-0 by the Korean football team at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. 

 Montenegro striker Dejan Damjanovic put the South Korean champion ahead in the 39th minute.

 Go Yo-han extended FC Seoul’s lead two minutes into the second half.

 In Wednesday’s other semifinal, Guangzhou Evergrande of China thrashed Japanese Kashiwa Reysol 4-1 in Japan. 

 

“We made so many mistakes in the second half. I believe that it’s not finished yet. Esteghlal is going to book its berth in the second leg with the support of the fans at the Azadi Stadium,” Esteghlal coach Amir Ghalenoei said in the post match news conference. 

 The second leg is scheduled for October 2 in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. 

 The winner will face either Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol or Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande in the final.