AFC Women’s Champions League:
Didar double seals comeback win as Khatoon advances to group stage
Iranian international striker Sara Didar netted twice as Bam Khatoon FC came from behind to beat Jordan’s Etihad Club 3-1 in a must-win game in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Sunday and qualify for the group stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League.
Second to Etihad on goal difference prior to the contest, Khatoon knew that nothing short of maximum points would be enough to go through, and the Iranian side rose to the occasion, keeping calm despite going behind early in the game.
Leen Al-Btoush, taking advantage of shoddy defending, put Etihad Club ahead in the 10th minute when she stole in from the back, picked up a cutback from Carrie Consolino and curled the ball past a rooted Raha Yazdani.
The 12-time Iranian top-flight champion’s efforts to find an equalizer were hampered by poor finishing from Didar and Maryam Dini, as well as the efforts of Etihad keeper Sherin Al Shalabe, who repeatedly read their attacks in advance.
The custodian, however, failed to detect a lurking Didar in the 32nd minute, with the striker latching on to Melika Motevalli’s cross and guiding a looping header beyond Al Shalabe and into the bottom-left corner.
Fatemah Shaban and Roujin Tamrian thought they had put Khatoon ahead late in the first half, only to see their strikes ruled out for offside.
Motevalli and Fatemah Amineh came close to giving the Iranian outfit the lead after the break, but they had to wait until the 71st minute, when Shaban outpaced defender Alanoud Al Zabrey on the left and steered her shot beyond Al Shalabe into the right corner.
Didar then sealed the match with her second goal in the 76th minute – and fifth in three outings – after collecting a pass from Dini and, running parallel to the goal, chipping the ball past the lunging custodian.
A second win in three games saw Khatoon win Group E with seven points – two clear of Saudi champion Al Nassr, which demolished CSKA Dushanbe 12-1 later on Sunday – and earn its third consecutive group-stage appearance in the continent’s elite club competition.
A quarterfinalist in the 2024/25 season, Khatoon began its preliminary campaign with a 3-0 victory over CSKA Dushanbe before Didar’s 95th-minute strike salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw against Al Nassr on Thursday.