AFC Champions League: Esteghlal on Brink of Qualification
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Esteghlal football team from Iran moved to the brink of qualifying for the AFC Champions League next stage on Tuesday.
The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Emirati side Al Ahli in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Visiting team Al Ahli took a 17th minute lead in the clash at a packed Azadi Stadium, with Abdulaziz Sanqour placing the ball into the net after a neat header from striker Ahmed Khalil found him unmarked in the area.
On the half hour mark, though, only a fine low save by Majed Naser in the Ahli net prevented a Yaghoub Karimi free-kick from levelling the tie.
In the 58th minute, Esteghlal equalized the match with a header by Kaveh Rezaei.
With neither side then able to find a winner, both teams now lie on eight points with one Group A game remaining - three points clear of both Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun and Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv.
Esteghlal will advance to the next stage if the team doesn’t lose to Al Taawoun with more than three goals.
