Esteghlal defeats Al Rayyan, moves to 2018 AFC Champions League knock-out stage
Iranian professional football club Esteghlal Tehran has booked its place in the knock-out stage of the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League following a great home win over Qatar’s Al Rayyan.
On Monday evening, the Tehran-based team blanked the Qatari side 2-0 in a Group D fixture at Azadi Stadium in western Tehran.
The hosts got off to a strong start, and took an early lead in the fourth minute when Esteghlal’s 35-year-old Uzbek midfielder Server Resatovich Djeparov converted a cross from Farshid Esmaeili past goalkeeper Oumar Barry.
The Qatari side intensified the pressure later on in order to level the scoring. Al Rayyan’s captain Rodrigo Tabata unleashed a strike from long distance, but his effort did not pay off and the ball went wide in the 20th minute.
Esteghlal extended their supremacy 13 minutes after the break, when defender Vouria Ghafouri stepped up to drive home from the penalty spot to make it 2-0.
Persepolis earns goalless draw against Uzbekistan’s Nasaf
In another match of the day, Iran’s Persian Gulf Pro League professional soccer club Persepolis snatched a goalless draw against Football Club Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
The Iranian soccer players dominated possession of the ball throughout the first period of the Group C match at Karshi Central Stadium, but could not make a single shot on target as their Uzbek opponents were resolute to repel the attacks.
The hosts’ most favorable chance of the first half came in the 18th minute, when 20-year-old Azizjon Ganiev’s cross from the right flank nearly tricked Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Beiranvand, however, was alert enough to tip it behind before defender Jalal Hosseini averted the danger.
After the restart, Persepolis built up its momentum and Siamak Nemati sought to take Farshad Ahmadzadeh’s cross. Nevertheless, his half-volleyed shot sailed high above Nasaf’s goalpost.
Nasaf boss Ruziqol Berdiev introduced Serbian striker Dragan Ćeran from the bench on the hour, whose contribution was to set up Bobir Abdixolikov for an overhead kick that went just wide off Beiranvand.
In the dying moments of the fixture, Persepolis 30-year-old midfielder Vahid Amiri set up substitute Ahmed Nourollahi at the edge of the penalty box.
Nourollahi’s strike tipped over Nasaf’s custodian Sanjar Kuvvatov at the final whistle and the match ended in a goalless draw.
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