Doha: Mateus Uribe’s late first-half strike and goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham’s heroics secured a 1-0 victory for Al Sadd over Persepolis in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite in Doha yesterday. Felix Sanchez’s side moved to seven points after their second successive win, holding onto third place, with Al Hilal and Al Ahli Saudi FC leading the West Zone standings with nine points each. Uribe netted the winner in the 45+2 minute, while Barsham made crucial saves, particularly in the second half, to preserve Al Sadd’s narrow lead at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Both Al Sadd and Persepolis made attempts soon after the start as they sought early control of the match. Boualem Khoukhi fired a long-range shot in the fourth minute, but it sailed high and wide. Al Sadd, controlling more possession, pressed for a breakthrough. Guilherme Torres had a powerful strike from outside the box, but Persepolis goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz made a solid save. In the 36th minute, Lucas Joao had a golden opportunity to score, but his effort from the center of the box, following a pass from Vahid Amiri, was way off target. Al Sadd were saved just a minute later when Barsham rushed out to deny Alishah. In the next sequence, with the goalkeeper caught out of position, Guilherme made a crucial header to clear Masoud Rigi’s goal-bound shot. Persepolis were punished for their missed opportunities when Al Sadd finally broke the stalemate. Uribe found the back of the net in a crowded box following a corner taken by Akram Afif, giving Al Sadd the lead. Al Sadd will now take on Al Wasl in an away game in Dubai while Persepolis will host Al Gharafa in Shahr-e Qods on November 4.