Esteghlal gets 1-1 draw against Al Ahli in AFC Champions League
Iranian professional football club Esteghlal Tehran has earned a one-all draw against Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in the group stage of the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
On Tuesday evening, the Tehran-based team, which plays in the highest level of the Iranian football league system – the Persian Gulf Pro League, saw itself move to the brink of qualification to the next round after it tied 1-1 with the visiting team at the end of a Group A match played at all-seater Azadi Stadium in western Tehran.
Al Ahli took the lead in the 17th minute, when 27-year-old Abdelaziz Sanqour placed the ball into the net after a neat header from striker Ahmed Khalil found him unmarked in the 18-yard box.
The visitors’ goalkeeper Majed Naser then pulled off a fine low save on the half hour mark, preventing Esteghlal midfielder Yaghoub Karimi’s free-kick from leveling the scores.
In the 58th minute, Esteghlal’s pressure finally yielded result and Khosro Heydari’s quick throw was headed home by striker Kaveh Rezaei.
In another match of the day, Esteghlal Khuzestan of Iran obtained a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia’s Al Fateh in Group B of the AFC Champions League.
Ali al-Zaqan put the Saudi club in front after 85 minutes when he carried out an acrobatic strike.
But Salman Bahrani’s spectacular overhead kick found the back of the net in the injury time to level the scores, and earn Esteghlal Khuzestan a draw.
The draw means third-placed Al Fateh remains two points behind the Iranian club, which is in the second spot of the group.
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