Iran s Esteghlal claim spot in Asian Champions League knockout stage

Tehran April 3 (IANS) Esteghlal defeated Qatar s Al Rayyan 2-0 to punch their ticket for the knockout stage of the 2018 Asian Champions League the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on its website.

The Match Day 5 contest at Tehran s Azadi Stadium here on Monday was for the top spot in Group D reports Efe.

The hosts set the tone for the night when Server Djeparov took a cross from Farshid Esmaeili to beat Al Rayyan goalkeeper Oumar Barry in the 4th minute making it 1-0 for Esteghlal.

Al Rayyan s best chance came in the 20th minute as the visitors moved forward in pursuit of an equaliser but captain Rodrigo Tabata s effort from a distance missed the mark.

The Iranian side got their insurance goal in the 58th minute when Vouria Ghafouri converted from the spot after the referee awarded a penalty for a foul in the box against Dariush Shojaein.

Despite the loss Al Rayyan can still secure the second Group D berth in the AFC Champions League round of 16 with a good result two weeks from now against Al Ain.

--IANS
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