Lekhwiya's Ahmed Yasser (left) vies for the ball possession against Persepolis' Mehdi Taremi during their AFC Champions League match played at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran yesterday.
Qatar Stars League champions Lekhwiya held Persepolis to a goalless draw in their first leg of the Round 16 away match of the AFC Champions League at Azadi Stadium, Tehran yesterday.
The Iranian club, playing at home behind closed doors, wasted a spot kick in the 83rd minute as Mehdi Taremi’s penalty found an alert Qasem Burhan blocking the right footed effort much to the delight of the Lekhwiya bench.
The two teams will clash in the return match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on May 30.
Persepolis FC tested the visitors with a threatening move in the fourth miss as Farshad Ahmadzadeh left footed shot from outside the box went high and wide off a move started by Vahid Amiri.
Two minutes later, the hosts again got their attacking act together with Mehdi Taremi’s header from the centre of the box missing the mark of a cross from Hossein Mahini.
Lekhwiya did not lag behind and almost struck a quarter into the match, but Luiz Martin Carlos Junior hit the left post off a move started by Nam Tae-hee. A minute later, Luiz set up Youssef Msakni with a through, but the later was caught off side.
Ten minutes later, Msakni was again in the thick of action as his right footed shot from outside the box found an alert Persepolis keeper blocking the effort.
Both Lekhwiya and Persepolis earned a number of free kicks but nothing came out of them.
Lekhwiya continued to press for the midfield supremacy and were able to make deep inroads in the rival defence.
Lekhwiya midfielder Tae-hee, who worked tirelessly for the visitors, unleashed a right footed shot from the centre of the box, after being set up by Ali Hassan Afif, but ended up shooting over the cross bar.
Persepolis pressed the panic buttons in the Lekhwiya defense at the stroke of half time with Vahid Amiri's defense splitting the rival defense with a through ball but Taremi was caught offside.
Persepolis started the second session in the same way they did earlier, testing Lekhwiya with a couple of threatening moves.
Two minutes into the second session, Mohsen Mosalman's left footed shot from outside the box missed the target.
Two minutes later, Mosalman again tested the rival defense but luck was not on his side.
In the 57th minute, Persepolis kept the marauding Lekhwiya pack away.
Karim Boudiaf's right footed shot from the centre of the box was saved in the centre of the goal off a move started by Tae-hee.
Thereafter, both the teams created a number of openings but failed to get one past the goalkeeper.
In the last five minutes, Persepolis went all out in search of the match winner and during this period Lekhwiya defense stood the test with aplomb.
First, Farshad Ahmadzadeh header from the right side of the six-yard box went high and later Vahid Amiri's left footed shot from very close range found an alert Burhan.
At the other end Luiz’s right footed shot from outside the box found an alert Persepolis keeper who deflected it away to safety.
The match tended to get out of hand and the referee reached out to show the yellow cards to two Lekhwiya players within a span of four minutes, Ismail Mohammad in the 58th minute and in the 62nd minute for Mohammed Musa.
Seyed Jalal Hosseini of Persepolis was also shown the yellow card in injury time.
