AFC - A late brace from Mehdi Taremi saw Persepolis come out on top in Tuesday’s topsy-turvy tie following a 3-2 victory over Al Wahda in Group D of the 2017 AFC Champions League.
Vahid Amiri put the Iranian visitors ahead with just four minutes on the clock before Al Wahda centre-back Rim Chang-woo hit the crossbar on the 20th minute for the home side.
Still a goal down at the break, the hosts made an inspired substitution 11 minutes into the second half with Ismaeil Matar coming off the bench and levelling the tie just two minutes later. And the comeback looked complete when his cross reached Sebastian Tagliabue who laid the ball into the path for Valdivia to rifle into the roof of the net to give Al Wahda a 2-1 lead on 64 minutes.
But on a night of goal-laden AFC Champions League games there was still time for a further twist in the rollercoaster tale at Al Nahyan Stadium with Taremi first heading his side level with nine minutes remaining before bagging the game’s fifth and final goal of the night in added time to seal a dramatic win for Persepolis.