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<p>QNB Stars League leaders Al Sadd went down fighting to Iran’s Persepolis 0-1 through a late penalty by Ali Alipour in the first leg of their AFC Champions League semifinal in Doha on Tuesday.</p><p>Both sides started off cautiously and the first dangerous chance of the game came in the 16th minute. Al Sadd forward Akram Afif got into the box and had a go at goal, but Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was on hand to safely gather the ball.</p><p>Two minutes later, Persepolis wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead. After Bashar Resan gave a cross from the left, Godwin Mensha somehow skied the ball over the crossbar.</p><p>The first half then turned out to be a cagey affair with very few noteworthy attempts at either end. However, Akram remained a lively threat for Al Sadd on the left and, in the 43rd minute, his low drive at goal was kept out by a fingertip save from a diving Beiranvand.</p><p>Al Sadd looked to make a breakthrough in the second half in front of their fans, but Persepolis were determined to make it difficult for them.</p><p>The visitors managed to frustrate the Al Sadd forwards as tournament top scorer Baghdad Bounedjah was kept silent by a resolute Persepolis backline marshalled by captain Jalal Hosseini.</p><p>The stalemate was broken in the 86th minute against the run of play. After a quick counter-attack, Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad Al Dossari brought down Alipour in the box. The striker stepped up to take the penalty himself and made no mistake.</p><p>Akram had the ball in the net deep into added time, but the effort was ruled out by the referee for a foul, confirming a narrow win for Persepolis.</p><p>The return leg will be played at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on 23rd October.</p>