Esteqlal rout Qatar's Al-Rayan

Iranian Estaqlal Football Club's team paved its path towards the next round of the Asian champions' competitions. The blue-clad Esteqlal was on Wednesday the host of Al-Rayan in the presence of some 50,000 spectators, every one of whom a staunch fan of the Esteqlal blues on the 5th week of the Group 1 games. The goals of Estaqlal were scored by Arash Borhani from the penalty point, Esmaeil Sharifat, and Mojtaba Jabbari, respectively in minutes 23, 75 and 90+2. The representative of Iran needed the three points of this game for ascending to the play-off round of the games and therefore began the game with consecutive attacks organized on the guest team's net. The coaches of Al-Rayan, too, who were taking advantage of nine foreign players in their team, were on the other side after slowing down the game to get a chance to be benefitted from the counter-attacks. In 22nd minute of the game the Brazilian professional Al-Rayan player Alfonso Alves blocked the path of a ball heading for their net using his hand which was noticed by the assistant referee and gave Estaqlal a penalty shot, which was turned into Esteqlal's first goal by the team's Captain Arash Borhani. After that first goal Esteqlal player gained higher spirit and doubled their attacks against the Qatari goalie. The Al-Rayan players who had found it tough to reach the vicinity of Esteqla's net began shooting long shots from far distance, two of which were with the goal gate's frame in 37th and 38th minutes, which were beautifully blocked by the Estaqlal goal keeper, Seyyed Mahdi Rahmati. In 40th minute of the game Esteqlal attack line lost a very good opportunity to score one more goal, when Milad Meydavoudi was faced with the Qatari goal keeper alone, but is shot was blocked by the vertical bar of the gate. Estaqlal players began the second round with attacks and had good opportunities to score goals during the beginning minutes of this half, which were ruined due to imprecise shots of Estaqlal's attackers. This braved the Al-Rayan players who organized some attacks and for some minutes the game was somehow balanced, as the Qatari team, too, gained a few opportunities for scoring goals, but the alertness and high skill of Rahmati and Estaelal defense line deprived them of scoring even a single goal. Estaqlal's coach Parviz Mazloumi then sent Mojtaba Jabbari to the field so that his players would take the lead in the midfield, and after that following the tactical play of Estaqlal at the 75th minute Esmaeil Sharifat scored his team's second goal. Near the end of the 90 minute official time of the game Estaqlal had another chance to score, but Arash Borhani was not lucky enough and shot the ball right into the hands of the Al-Rayan goal keeper. But that was not the end of the work for Estaqlal, as at 90+2nd minute Al-Rayan's gate was opened once again, to send the guest team home with three goals in sack and none scored. Esteqlal thus ascended to the second place of Group One, and to the next round of the games, or the tough play off round.