TEHRAN - Esteghlal football team secured their first win in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 after defeating Al Wehdat 2-0 in their Group A tie on Wednesday.

Two first half goals confirmed the points for Ricardo Sa Pinto’s side with a feisty second period which saw both teams ending the match with 10 players each.

Jasir Asani’s threat bore fruit in the eighth minute when the Albanian’s strike was palmed away by Alfakhori, with the ball landing in the path of Saeid Saharkhizan who missed the rebound but was able to recover to square for Munir El Haddadi to turn home.

Al Wehdat were struggling to get out of their own half and had Alfakhori to thank for keeping the score down, the goalkeeper having to go full stretch to tip Mehran Ahmadi’s low curler onto the post in the 26th minute.

Esteghlal’s dominance was rewarded with a second goal a minute before the end of the first half, El Haddadi’s out swinging cross to the far post was met by Asani who fired home with a first time effort into the bottom corner.