Al Duhail Eye Persepolis Scalp, Semifinal Berth

Doha, September 16 (QNA) - Qatar's Al Duhail take a slender 1-0 lead into the return meeting with Irans Persepolis in what may be the tightest of four AFC Champions League second-leg quarterfinal clashes. Almoez Ali scored the only goal of the game in Doha to maintain Al Duhails 100 per cent record as they matched Ulsan Hyundais nine successive wins from the 2012 competition. One more victory would set a new record for a single campaign, although Ulsan did record 11 wins in a row between 2012 and 2014. Persepolis, though, have won all four of their games in front of home fans and recovered from a first-leg deficit against Al Jazira in the Round of 16. They have conceded just once at the Azadi Stadium and are chasing a second consecutive semifinal. Al Duhail had won all six matches in Group B that also included the UAEs Al Wahda, Irans Zob Ahan and Uzbekistans Lokomotiv, to finish with a perfect 18 points. Al Duhail then registered an 8-3 aggregate victory over the UAEs Al Ain in the Round of 16 to book their quarterfinal dates with Persepolis. On the other hand, Persepolis underlined their credentials by topping Group C ahead of another top Qatari side Al Sadd, the UAEs Al Wasl and Uzbekistans Nasaf. They booked a second successive quarterfinal berth with a dramatic late victory over the UAEs Al Jazira in the last 16. (QNA)