Iran giants Esteghlal earned a place in the lucrative Group Stage of the US$3 million AFC Champions League by the narrowest of margins, advancing on the away goals rule after losing 2-1 away to Neftchi in front of a partisan 20,000-capacity crowd in Uzbekistan.
Holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Tehran, Esteghlal appeared to be in control of the tie when Yadollah Akbari scored the opener in the 24th minute.
Instead, the goal ignited a passionate fightback from the home side who, inspired by their fervent support in the Fergana Stadium, took the game to their illustrious opponents for most of the remainder of the match.
To the delight of the 20,000 spectators inside the stadium and the 5,000 outside, Neftchi levelled the game four minutes into the second half when captain Sergey Ni scored following a mistake by Esteghlal goalkeeper Sayed Tabatabaei.
The crowd had to wait just three minutes for Neftchi to take the lead as Umid Isakov braved a challenge in the area and leapt acrobatically to shoot home.
Needing one more goal to qualify, the home side put the Esteghlal defence under immense pressure but were repeatedly denied by Tabatabaei and twice by the woodwork.
Akmal Holmatov hit the crossbar following a corner before a Mukhtar Kurbanov free-kick also hit the woodwork, while Tabatabaei was called upon to make several brilliant saves, most notably from Umid Isakov five minutes from time.
Esteghlal, Asian Club Championship winners in 1970 and 1990, have earned a place in Group C, where they'll face seeded teams Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and the UAE's Al Ain.
Osotspa fire six past Churchill
In the east, Osotspa blasted their way into Group B with a 6-3 demolition of Indian side Churchill Brothers at the Debhasdin Stadium in Bangkok. They became the second Thai club in the 16-team Group Stage, joining BEC Tero Sasana, one of the eight seeds.
Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Goa, the tie appeared delicately balanced at half-time with Osotspa 2-1 ahead, two Vimon Junkham goals sandwiching a brilliant long-range strike from Churchill captain Noel Wilson.
However, the home side turned on the heat in the second period as the visitors visibly faded.
After Vimon completed his hat-trick six minutes into the second half, another brilliant solo effort by Wilson brought Churchill back into contention, but two goals by Phaitoon Thabma and a fourth from Vimon put the match beyond doubt, with an own goal by Tanasit Tong-in completing the scoring.
In Group B, Osotspa will face powerhouses Dalian Shide, who have just wrapped up their third successive Chinese league title, and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, who recently sealed their second successive K-League title.
Shimizu S-Pulse are expected to complete the four-team group. Japan's Emperor's Cup champions beat South China 5-0 in their first-leg encounter in Hong Kong, and play the return leg at the Nihondaira Stadium on Wednesday.
Taejon move on with few problems
Earlier on Tuesday, Taejon Citizen beat Mohun Bagan 2-1 in Calcutta's Salt Lake Stadium for an 8-1 aggregate victory over the three-time Indian National Football League (NFL) champions.
화요일, 대전 시티즌은 캘커타에 있는 Salt Lake 경기장에서 인도 축구 리그(NFL)에서 세차례나 우승한 모훈 바간을 2-1로 이겨 결국 전체적으로는 8-1의 승리를 거두었다.
Taejon, the 2001 Korea FA Cup winners, recently finished bottom of the K-League for the second year running but still proved too good for the Indian side, whose hopes were all but ended in the 6-0 loss at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium two weeks ago.
2001년 한국 FA컵 우승자인 대전은 얼마전에 올해 K-리그를 최하위로 끝냈지만 여전히 인도에 대해서는 충분히 강하다는 것을 입증했다. 2주 전 대전 월드컵 경기장에서 인도는 대전에 6-0으로 졌다.
Taejon now look forward to playing in Group A, where BEC Tero Sasana and Japan's Kashima Antlers are the seeded sides. Shanghai Shenhua and Geylang United are fighting for the final place in the group, with the Chinese side 3-0 up going into Wednesday's return leg in Singapore.
대전은 이제 BEC Tero Sasana와 Kashima Antlers가 이미 시드 배정을 받아있는 그룹 A에 속하게 되었다. 상하이 Shenhua와 Geylang United가 그룹의 남은 자리를 위해 경기하게 될 것이다.
중국에서 3-0으로 이미 경기가 끝났고 수요일에 싱가폴에서 남은 경기를 가지게 될 것이다.
* Views expressed in the news articles are not necessarily official views of the Asian Football Confederation.
Holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Tehran, Esteghlal appeared to be in control of the tie when Yadollah Akbari scored the opener in the 24th minute.
Instead, the goal ignited a passionate fightback from the home side who, inspired by their fervent support in the Fergana Stadium, took the game to their illustrious opponents for most of the remainder of the match.
To the delight of the 20,000 spectators inside the stadium and the 5,000 outside, Neftchi levelled the game four minutes into the second half when captain Sergey Ni scored following a mistake by Esteghlal goalkeeper Sayed Tabatabaei.
The crowd had to wait just three minutes for Neftchi to take the lead as Umid Isakov braved a challenge in the area and leapt acrobatically to shoot home.
Needing one more goal to qualify, the home side put the Esteghlal defence under immense pressure but were repeatedly denied by Tabatabaei and twice by the woodwork.
Akmal Holmatov hit the crossbar following a corner before a Mukhtar Kurbanov free-kick also hit the woodwork, while Tabatabaei was called upon to make several brilliant saves, most notably from Umid Isakov five minutes from time.
Esteghlal, Asian Club Championship winners in 1970 and 1990, have earned a place in Group C, where they'll face seeded teams Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and the UAE's Al Ain.
Osotspa fire six past Churchill
In the east, Osotspa blasted their way into Group B with a 6-3 demolition of Indian side Churchill Brothers at the Debhasdin Stadium in Bangkok. They became the second Thai club in the 16-team Group Stage, joining BEC Tero Sasana, one of the eight seeds.
Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Goa, the tie appeared delicately balanced at half-time with Osotspa 2-1 ahead, two Vimon Junkham goals sandwiching a brilliant long-range strike from Churchill captain Noel Wilson.
However, the home side turned on the heat in the second period as the visitors visibly faded.
After Vimon completed his hat-trick six minutes into the second half, another brilliant solo effort by Wilson brought Churchill back into contention, but two goals by Phaitoon Thabma and a fourth from Vimon put the match beyond doubt, with an own goal by Tanasit Tong-in completing the scoring.
In Group B, Osotspa will face powerhouses Dalian Shide, who have just wrapped up their third successive Chinese league title, and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, who recently sealed their second successive K-League title.
Shimizu S-Pulse are expected to complete the four-team group. Japan's Emperor's Cup champions beat South China 5-0 in their first-leg encounter in Hong Kong, and play the return leg at the Nihondaira Stadium on Wednesday.
Taejon move on with few problems
Earlier on Tuesday, Taejon Citizen beat Mohun Bagan 2-1 in Calcutta's Salt Lake Stadium for an 8-1 aggregate victory over the three-time Indian National Football League (NFL) champions.
화요일, 대전 시티즌은 캘커타에 있는 Salt Lake 경기장에서 인도 축구 리그(NFL)에서 세차례나 우승한 모훈 바간을 2-1로 이겨 결국 전체적으로는 8-1의 승리를 거두었다.
Taejon, the 2001 Korea FA Cup winners, recently finished bottom of the K-League for the second year running but still proved too good for the Indian side, whose hopes were all but ended in the 6-0 loss at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium two weeks ago.
2001년 한국 FA컵 우승자인 대전은 얼마전에 올해 K-리그를 최하위로 끝냈지만 여전히 인도에 대해서는 충분히 강하다는 것을 입증했다. 2주 전 대전 월드컵 경기장에서 인도는 대전에 6-0으로 졌다.
Taejon now look forward to playing in Group A, where BEC Tero Sasana and Japan's Kashima Antlers are the seeded sides. Shanghai Shenhua and Geylang United are fighting for the final place in the group, with the Chinese side 3-0 up going into Wednesday's return leg in Singapore.
대전은 이제 BEC Tero Sasana와 Kashima Antlers가 이미 시드 배정을 받아있는 그룹 A에 속하게 되었다. 상하이 Shenhua와 Geylang United가 그룹의 남은 자리를 위해 경기하게 될 것이다.
중국에서 3-0으로 이미 경기가 끝났고 수요일에 싱가폴에서 남은 경기를 가지게 될 것이다.
* Views expressed in the news articles are not necessarily official views of the Asian Football Confederation.
