Pas through to quarter-finals

DOHA ? Pas advanced to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League 2005 after coming from a goal down to beat Al Rayyan 2-1 to open up an unassailable six point gap at the top of Group A with one round remaining.

The Qatari side needed a victory to keep them in the hunt for a place in the last eight and Waleed Jassim put them on the right path when he opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a superb solo effort.

The 18-year-old midfielder displayed maturity beyond his years as he got the better of Iran international Mohammed Nosrati before unleashing a left foot shot into the right corner of the net from inside the box.

But Pas knew that a draw at least would see them through and pressed for the equalizer, which came in the 71st minute courtesy of Arash Borhani who collected a ball from the left and found himself with enough time and space to calmly round Al Rayyan keeper Aman Salman.

Ten minutes later Pas striker Behnam Abolghasempour scored his third goal in two games as he volleyed home a chipped through ball from Nosrati for the winner.

?I am extremely happy with the performance of my team,? said Pas coach Mustafa Denizli

?I am absolutely delighted in the manner in which we applied ourselves in the second half. We did not play to potential in the first half, but in the second half, we did the magic.?

Al Rayyan coach Ron van der Berg, who replaced the sacked Jorgen Larsen less the two weeks ago, agreed with the former Turkey coach that the Iranians did indeed have the better of the second half but lamented the fact that his charges gave the opposition too much room to play.

?I think Pas deserved to win because they played smart football, especially in the second half,? conceded the Dutchman. ?They created a lot of chances and scored goals when it mattered.

?My players, especially the defenders, gave them too much of space. That?s why we lost. Their strikers were virtually free to do whatever they liked in the second half.?