TEHRAN - Head coach Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh praised Esteghlal’s second half performance after Jasir Asani struck in stoppage time to seal a 1-0 win over Al Shamal SC in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 on Tuesday.

The victory saw Esteghlal bounce back from last week’s defeat to Shabab Al Ahli, while Al Shamal were unable to build on their Matchday Three win over Al Hilal SFC.

“I’m happy that we were able to end this game with a victory,” said Bakhtiarizadeh. “We played great football in the second half and I’m proud of my players because they spared no effort to make the fans happy.”Bakhtiarizadeh felt Esteghlal took control after an evenly contested first half and was pleased by the chances his side created before Asani found the breakthrough.

“We witnessed a close game in the first half but in the second half, we had the pulse of the game and were the better team on the field.

“We must be able to create opportunities against any opponent and at the same time not allow the opponent to gain any opportunities. Not scoring goals is also part of football.”

The victory meant the Iran side rebounded in style from last week’s defeat to Shabab Al Ahli while there was disappointment for Qatar’s Al Shamal, who had gone into the tie buoyant after defeating Al Hilal SFC on Matchday Three.

Al Shamal made just one change from the starting lineup that had stunned Al Hilal SFC 3-1 on Matchday Three, while Esteghlal opted for two changes following their 2-0 defeat to Shabab Al Ahli.