TEHRAN - Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh felt Esteghlal should have won by a wider margin following their 2-1 defeat of Qatar’s Al Gharafa SC 2-1 in their AFC Champions League Elite 2026/2027 tie on Monday.

Jasir Assani’s stunning first half strike was cancelled out by Ferjani Sassi in the 44th minute before Hossein Goudarzi’s effort on the hour-mark secured Esteghlal’s second successive victory.

"The better team won today and we could have scored more goals against Al Gharafa,” said Bakhtiarizadeh. “They also had a few goalscoring opportunities but we did well to keep them at bay.
"The three points were very important and the effort and dedication of the Esteghlal players were commendable. I salute them all and thank them for their performance."
While pleased with his side’s attacking display, Bakhtiarizadeh also acknowledged the effort required to overcome the conditions and injuries to Asani and Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia.

"The weather conditions were tough and the injuries of two players also made our job difficult, but my players were able to defend and showed their dedication.”
Esteghlal take on United Arab Emirates’ Shabab Al Ahli Dubai FC next, with Al Gharafa travelling to Jeddah to face reigning champions Al Ahli Saudi FC.