Esteghlal, Esteghlal Khuzestan reach AFC Champions League last 16
Iranian professional football clubs Esteghlal Tehran and Esteghlal Melli-Sanati Khuzestan Football Club, commonly known as Esteghlal Khuzestan, have cruised into the knockout stage of the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
On Tuesday evening, the Tehran-based Esteghlal, which plays in the highest level of the Iranian football league system – the Persian Gulf Pro League, handed al-Taawoun of Saudi Arabia a 2-1 defeat at the end of a Group A match staged at Al Ahli Stadium in the Qatari capital city of Doha.
Iranian players started the match in a dominant fashion, and rolled the ball in the right side of the pitch, where 26-year-old striker Ali Ghorbani lashed a long volley. Esteghlal’s Kaveh Rezaei jumped up and flicked a header, but al-Taawoun’s goalkeeper Sultan al-Ghamdi pulled off a spectacular save and prevented Persians from opening the scoring.
The blue-clad Esteghlal players finally found the back of the net in the 19th minute, when midfielder Jaber Ansari unleashed a powerful shot that Ghamdi found unable to parry.
Mohammed al-Saiari leveled the for the Buraidah-based al-Taawoun in the 36th minute, before Rezaei beat the Saudi keeper in a one on one and struck the winner less than a quarter from time .
In another match of the day, Esteghlal Khuzestan held Al Jazira of the United Arab Emirates to a one-all draw in a Group B fixture, and progressed to the 2017 AFC Champions League Round of 16.
Al Jazira midfielder Humaid Ahmed gave the visitors the lead shortly before the break at multi-purpose Ghadir Stadium in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz.
The hosts bounced back after the interval and substitute Mehdi Zobeidi headed home a late equalizer with just four minutes remaining.
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