Swedish club Ostersunds FK continued their good form with a 1-0 win at home over German club Hertha Berlin on 28 September in Europa League group play.
Ostersunds have won both matches so far and are on top of Group J with six points. Next up for Ostersunds is a home fixture against Spanish club Atletico Bilbao on 19 October.
Iranian-Swedish forward Saman Ghoddos played the full ninety minutes and he continues to show why he is a highly coveted player. Sources have revealed that Ghoddos rejected a call-up from the national team of Sweden for their upcoming world cup qualifiers.
This is awesome news and we can clearly see that Saman Ghoddos is fully committed to playing for Team Melli, the national team of Iran.
It is unfortunate that Ghoddos was unable to get capped in Iran’s last two qualifiers but I am looking forward to seeing him play against Togo and Russia in upcoming friendlies.
In Asian Champions League, IPL Champions Persepolis suffered a 4-0 setback against Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal in the first leg of the semifinals.
The defeat to Al Hilal was a tough blow for Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic and it was probably tough to be upbeat prior to the match due to the four-month suspension from FIFA that was handed down to forward Mehdi Taremi.
I know it is easy for Persepolis fans to be upset with the title of this blog but it is hard for me to have hope because the Red Army have a difficult task on their hands. A two-goal deficit is tough but doable, a three-goal deficit is a mountain to climb but a four-goal deficit is nearly impossible to overcome.
The return leg will be played in Muscat, Oman on 17 October.
We are nearly 8 months away from the 2018 World Cup in Russia! Have you sent in your ticket application yet?