Bonacic delighted by Sepahan win

AFCCL - Sepahan coach Luka Bonacic expressed delight on Wednesday after seeing his side take a big step towards the AFC Champions League final with a 3-1 win over 10-man Al Wahda in the first leg of the semi-finals.

Striker Mahmoud Karimi scored a goal in each half and also earned a late penalty, which was converted by captain Moharram Navidkia six minutes from time to put the Iranian Hazfi Cup holders in command at Foolad Shahr Stadium.

Mohamed Al Shehhi briefly levelled the score early in the second half but the visitors, who had to play for nearly an hour with 10 men after defender Yasser Abdullah was sent off, have an uphill task for the return match in Abu Dhabi.

"This was a great night and I congratulate the players," said Bonacic.

"We started the match well and we continued to play well throughout. But Al Wahda are a good team who play good football and we will have to concentrate if we are to win the second leg."

Sepahan, who have won Iran's Hazfi Cup for the past two seasons, were unrecognisable from the timid side that scraped passed Japan's Kawasaki Frontale on penalties in the quarter- finals.

"Apart from a couple of mistakes, we played well and were the better team from start to finish," the Croat added.

However, Bonacic had to defend himself for a piece of gamesmanship after Navidkia had netted his side’s third goal from the penalty spot.

The ball rolled to him on the touchline but instead of picking it up and throwing it back to the players, he showed off some of his ball skills, much to the annoyance of his opposite number, Ivo Wortmann.

"I used to be a player so I'm used to controlling the ball with my feet and not my hands," he said in response to complaints from Wortmann.

"I didn't mean to disrespect them."

Sepahan's win was tarnished by a serious-looking injury to key defender Hadi Aghily. Bonacic admitted that he could miss a number of matches including the second leg in Abu Dhabi on October 24th.

But the 52-year-old is well aware of what Sepahan need to do in order to become the first Iranian representatives in the final of Asia's showpiece club tournament.

"I don't know what our chances of winning are in terms of percentages, but if we play like we did tonight, we will definitely win, he concluded."