Esteghlal, Sepahan to learn knockout path in ACL Two
Persian Gulf Pro League sides Esteghlal and Sepahan will discover their knockout-stage opponents in the AFC Champions League Two when the round-of-16 draw for Asia’s second-tier club competition takes place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Both Iranian clubs will be placed in Pot 2 of the West region after finishing as runners-up in their respective groups.
Goals from Esmaeil Qolizadeh, Duckens Nazon and Jasir Asani sealed a comprehensive 3-0 away victory for Esteghlal over Bahrain’s Al Muharraq in a must-win encounter on Wednesday. Despite opening their campaign with back-to-back defeats – including a 7-1 thrashing away to Al Wasl – the Tehran Blues surged past the Bahraini side to finish second in Group A.
Sepahan had already secured second place behind Al Hussein in Group C with a 2-0 home win over the Jordanian club in November. The group featured only three teams after Indian champions Mohun Bagan SG were expelled from the competition for refusing to travel to Isfahan, citing concerns over “the safety and well-being of its players, officials and support staff.”
In the round of 16, Esteghlal will face one of the Pot 1 sides – Qatar’s Al Ahli SC, Al Hussein, or Saudi powerhouse Al Nassr – and will host the first leg on February 10-11.
A highly anticipated showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr is also a possibility for Sepahan, which could alternatively be drawn against Emirati side Al Wasl or Al Ahli SC.
The last-16 ties will be followed by the quarterfinals, beginning on March 3, and the semifinals, scheduled for April 7-15, before the tournament concludes with a single-leg West-versus-East final on May 16.