Zobahan FC eased to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League with a draw against Lokomotiv of Tashkent to join two other Iranian teams already qualified for the round of 16.
The Iranian club finished 1-1 against the Uzbeks at Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent; the result was just enough to help it ease through the next stage of the tournament, AFC wrote on its website.
The Uzbek side made its intentions clear from the start with constant attacking pressure. But it was Zobahan which struck first, taking advantage of spaces behind the Lokomotiv defense in the 25th minute. Mohammad Reza Hosseini skillfully controlled the ball and sent a defense-splitting through pass for Morteza Tabrizi who netted his fifth goal of the campaign.
Lokomotiv came within a whisker of scoring an equalizer four minutes later, but was denied by a heroic clearance from left-back Mohammad Sattari, who blocked Sardor Rashidov’s effort which looked destined for the back of the net.
The home side continued to attack for the remainder of the first half, but Amir Ghalenoei’s men managed to hold on to their lead until the break.
Attacks continued to flow in one direction in the second half with even more pressure from Lokomotiv. Zobahan’s defenses finally crumbled in the last minute when Tukhtakhujaev’s powerful shot from a narrow angle was deflected into the back of the net for a late equalizer.
The draw was enough for Zobahan to accompany Group B table topper Al Duhail of Qatar into the round of 16 on the back of a better head-to-head record with Lokomotiv, having won the reverse fixture 2-0. Zobahan will face fellow Iranian side Esteghlal.
Zobahan coach Ghalenoei also set a record as the only manager in Asia who has taken four different teams to the knockout stage of the Champions League, with Esteghlal, Sepahan, Tractorsazi and now Zobahan.
The other Iranian team at the stage, Persepolis will play Al Jazira of the UAE. Both Persepolis and Esteghlal ascended to the next round of the games as the table-toppers of their groups.
Eliminated Without Victory
In a match between Tractorsazi of Iran and Al Gharafa of Qatar, the Iranian side lost the game 3-1 to have a bitter farewell with the tournament.
Al Gharafa ended its 2018 ACL journey as well on a positive note after coming from behind to register a 3-1 win over Tractorsazi on Tuesday in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province.
In a battle between two eliminated teams, it was Tractorsazi which showed urgency early on and made the breakthrough. Just after the half hour mark, the Iranian side took the lead for the first time in this year’s campaign after Mohammad Iranpourian dispatched a penalty, which had been awarded for a foul on Amir Arsalan Motahari.
Al Gharafa’s attempts to get back into the game were led by Mehdi Taremi, who eked out multiple openings but was denied by Tractorsazi custodian Farzin Karousian on each occasion.
Tractorsazi held on to the slim advantage up until the 70th minute, when Al Gharafa turned the game around in the space of seven minutes.
Bulent Uygun’s side had Moayed Hassan to thank for it, with the winger first curling in a free-kick over the wall to level the scores before turning provider six minutes later.
Taremi’s through ball sent Hassan racing through towards an advancing keeper and he duly squared it across for Abdelaziz Hatem to tap into an empty goal. Taremi then finally got something to show for his efforts on the night, when he sent a fierce strike past Karousian in the 87th minute to make it 3-1 and register his fifth goal of the campaign.
Al Gharafa thus finished level on points with second-placed Al Jazira of the UAE in Group A, but lost out on a Round of 16 spot due to an inferior head-to-head record with the rival. Tractorsazi ended up at the bottom of the group with two points after failing to muster a single win throughout the tournament.
The weak performances by Tractorsazi in both Asian tournament as well as domestic Persian Gulf Pro League resulted in sacking of its chairman Mostafa Ajorlu on Tuesday.
