With Atalan’s three-point victory over Simorgh today, they now lead Group B standings. Shaheen Asmayee and Simorgh Alborz still just behind them with three points each.
Simorgh lagged behind in today’s game as Atalan kept good possession of the ball in the first half. At the 21st minute mark, Atalan’s Mustafa Afshar opened the scoring for his side.
Atalan kept challenging Simorgh on the pitch with a lead goal. A cheerful crowd of supporters in the stands erupted in cheers and chants, urging Atalan to victory.
Simorgh’s Monerulhaq Nadim’s header went over the goal’s crossbar at the 39th minute mark, missing the perfect opportunity to score the equalizer. The first half ended with Atalan missing multiple scoring opportunities for a second goal.
The second half kicked off with action. Atalan’s captain, Sayed Baqer Mirsalimi missed a chance to convert a penalty kick into goal at the 54th minute but Simorgh’s goalie, Hekmatullah Moradi’s brilliant save boosted the morale of Simorgh fans at the stadium, saving them from total despair.
Replacing Salim Naimi at 79th minute, Faiz Faizi made his first appearance since 2013 for Atalan. After a one-year ban to play for Atalan, It didn’t take long for him to get comfortable and challenge Simorgh with a header that narrowly missed the net.
Simorgh’ substitute at 87th minute, Ahmad Farhad Adil came in and scored the equalizer within his one minute already on the pitch.
It was a thrilling last few minutes to witness with a 1-1 tie but Simorgh’s defense started to come apart in those final wild minutes and Atalan’s Masoud Habibi soon scored the winning goal at the stoppage time of the second half.
Fans at the stadium and watching live on TV got to witness great, high level of football from both side throughout the game. This match will long be remembered after this fourth season comes to an end!
All of the group stage matches will start at 3:30 pm this season. The matches will broadcast live on TOLO TV, Lemar TV, Arman FM and Arakozai FM. It will also be watchable on the RAPL YouTube page (www.youtube.com/afghanpremierleague).