Qatar’s Al Sadd blanked Iran’s Sepahan 3-0 in Round 2, Group D of 2020 AFC Champions League at the Al Sadd Stadium on Tuesday.

Fine second-half display saw Al Sadd, who had drawn 2-2 with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in Round 1, through easily as Hassan Al Haydous’ brace followed Akram Afif’s 51st-minute opener, as Sepahan found the going tough after their 4-0 victory over Al Ain in the opening round.

It was a match full of action from the opening whistle, with both sides producing several scoring opportunities in a first half which, against all odds, finished without a goal.

Boualem Khoukhi’s pass put Akram through on goal in the opening 60 seconds, but goalkeeper Payam Niyazmand produced a terrific reflex save to keep out the first of three Al Sadd attempts in the opening six minutes.

The early minutes were promising ones for Xavi Hernandez’s side, who regularly tested the visiting defence without managing to find the back of the net, with Sepahan captain Mehdi Kiani producing a terrific tackle to stop an Akram breakaway in the 18th minute and Baghdad Bounedjah passing when he ought to have tried his luck shortly after.

The pendulum continued to swing, but Al Sadd took control as the much wore on, with the visitors finding increasingly difficult to contain their pace and movement.

A pair of impressive reflex saves from Niyazmand had denied Bounedjah just before the interval, but there was little he could do to prevent Al Sadd’s opening goal, with Akram cleverly lifting the ball over the towering goalkeeper after being released by a wonderfully-weighted Bounedjah assist six minutes after the break.

Al Sadd’s second was a thing of beauty with another flowing move culminating in a wonderful exchange between Bounedjah and Al Haydous, the former drilling in an inch-perfect low cross and the latter flicking the ball into the net with the back of his heel to double the lead in the 72nd minute.

Al Haydous found the net again with a much-simpler second six minutes later, this time steering the ball into an open net after more sparkling football from the hosts culminated in an inch-perfect square ball from Akram.