Javad Nekounam Heaps Praise on Esteghlal over Beating Al Gharafa
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Head coach Javad Nekonam heaped praise on his Esteghlal players following their convincing 3-0 win against Qatar’s Al Gharafa in their 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite opener at the Shahr-e Qods Stadium on Monday.
Esteghlal took the lead thanks to an own goal in the first half before seeing off Al Gharafa with strikes from Ramin Rezaeian and Arash Rezavand.
“I congratulate the fans and all those who helped us. I told the players that we should play at the level of Esteghlal,” said Nekonam. “This win is for those who worked hard. I was just by their side and they showed that they have a high position in Iranian football.”
“The condition of the team is getting better day by day. The players overcame the difficult conditions we faced in the last few days and I am really happy for the fans who are going home happy,” he added.
Pedro Martinez admitted Esteghlal deserved full points given his side’s performance.
“I congratulate the Esteghlal football team and the coaching staff for the victory. If there is sadness, it was because of our bad game,” said Martinez. “We tried to have a good performance and planned our tactics in such a way that we could win but Esteghlal were better than us.”
Al Gharafa will look to bounce back when it hosts Al Ain FC of the UAE on Matchday Two while Esteghlal will aim for maximum points again when it travels to Doha to play Al Sadd SC.