Persepolis, which celebrated a fourth consecutive Persian Gulf Pro League title in August, will take on Group C leader Al Taawoun of Saudi Arabia, knowing that any result other than a victory will compromise Reds’ chances of booking a place in the knockout phase.

A first day defeat at Al Duhail (2-0) and a 2-2 draw against Sharja have left Yahya Golmohammadi’s men trailing the Saudi side and Al Duhail by five and two points respectively.

Golmohammadi will hope new signings Ehsan Pahlevan and Issa Alekasir will fill the void in the frontline after the club parted ways with last season’s top scorers Ali Alipour and Mehdi Torabi.

Al Taawoun, meanwhile, survived a domestic scare, managing to avoid relegation on the final day of the newly-finished Saudi Pro League season.

Navidkia debut

Sepahan will embark on a new era under manager Moharam Navidkia – who has only been in charge of the club for a week – against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr.

The Isfahan-based side got off to a flying start in Group D, thrashing Emirati club Al Ain 4-0, before suffering a 3-0 defeat against Xavi’s Al Sadd of Qatar.

Al Nassr stands second in the group with four points, only behind Al Sadd on an inferior goal difference, with Sepahan at third place.

Al Nassr lost its domestic title to rival Al Hilal last Wednesday, settling for the runner-up spot.

Wahda withdrawal

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) COVID-19 Sub-Committee decided that the UAE’s Al Wahda shall be considered to have withdrawn from the competition, having failed to arrive in Doha ahead of their remaining Group A matches.

The Emirati side had reported last week that several of its players have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Al Wahda was to play a double header against Iran’s Esteghlal today and Thursday.

The committee said that the circumstances surrounding the club’s failure to arrive “constituted an event of force majeure” and that the matches played by Al Wahda in the competition shall be considered “null and void”.

No points or goals from the previous matches involving Al Wahda will be considered in determining the final group standing, the AFC added.

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Aref Aqasi scored the all-important winner in the seventh minute as the southern Iranian club – fifth in the table prior to the game – overtook Tractor and Sepahan – which was held to a 1-1 draw at Paykan – for the final berth in the Asian elite club competition.

Tractor, however, has a second chance of securing a place in the Champions League through Hazfi Cup, where the Tabriz-based side takes on Naft Masjed Soleyman in the semifinals on Tuesday, with archrivals Persepolis and Esteghlal playing the other last-four tie.

Should either one of Persepolis, Esteghlal, or Tractor win the cup, Saket Elhami’s side will be handed an ACL place.

Meanwhile, a 1-0 defeat against Naft Masjed Soleyman meant that Pars Jonoubi Jam joined other Bushehr-based club Shahin Shahrdari in relegation to the Iranian football second tier.

Omid Singh scored in the 88th-minute to dash former club’s slight hope of survival.

The result also secured Paykan and Saipa – which both failed to win on the final day – a place in next season’s top flight.

Ebrahim Sadeqi’s Saipa was beaten 3-0 at the hands of champion Persepolis, courtesy of goals by Vahid Amiri, Christian Osaguona, and Ali Alipour.

The victory meant that Yahya Golmohammadi’s men, in a season that they clinched a record-fourth consecutive title, also set a new record for most wins in a season (21).

The Reds also equaled the highest points-tally of a single campaign (67), a figure which only Sepahan had reached in the 18-team 2011-12 season.

Elsewhere, Cheick Diabaté put a fitting end to his impressive debut season by scoring a brace in Esteghlal’s 4-1 win at Shahin, helping Farhad Majidi’s Blues to a runner-up finish.

Malian striker scored 15 goals in a stellar campaign for the Golden Boot Award – finishing two goals clear of Paykan’s Shahryar Moghanlou.

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According To Iran News, Zob Ahan player Ehsan Pahlavan has been nominated for the best midfielder of AFC Champions League 2016 Team.

With the 2020 AFC Champions League currently on hiatus, the-AFC.com continues its series of articles to determine the best sides from the last four editions of the Continental competition.

The-afc began with the 2016 edition’s best goalkeeper, next came the candidates for the backline and now it’s time to turn attention to the more attacking positions.

There are nine players in contention for the four places in the midfield. The fans can Review the nominees and then choose their favorites for this all-star XI in the poll below.

Ehsan Pahlavan was just 22 years old when he made his maiden Continental club appearance at the 2016 AFC Champions League, but the young Iranian winger showed no fear with several fine performances in the tournament.

Most notable was Pahlavan’s leading role in the Matchday Five win over Saudi giant Al Nassr where he netted a brace in a 3-0 win, before again getting on the scoresheet in the return meeting a week later.

Pahlavan currently plays in Tractor on loan.

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According To Iran News, Mohammad Iranpourian from Iran has been nominated as the best defender of the AFC Champions League 2016.

Excellent at the back and a constant threat going forward, Iranpourian was outstanding as Tractor advanced to the last 16 for the first time.

Although the Tabriz side exited to Al Nasr, the right-back rounded off his campaign with a stunning goal in the second leg, the-afc.com wrote.

With the 2020 AFC Champions League currently on hiatus, the-AFC.com continues its series of articles to determine your best sides from the last four editions of the Continental competition.

Last week the-afc.com presented the candidates for the 2016 edition’s best goalkeeper, and now it’s time to turn the attention to defenders.

Iranpourian will compete with Ali Hamam (Zob Ahan), Ahmed Al Yassi (Al Nasr) and Mohammad Tresor (Lekhwiya) to win the award.

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According To Iran News, Shahr Khodro and Esteghlal from Iran will play Qatari teams in the 2020 AFC Champions League one-legged Play-off Round on Tuesday.

One of the more intriguing clashes of the Play-offs Round sees Qatar’s Al Sailiya taking on Iran’s Shahr Khodro, with the winner to make its debut in the AFC Champions League’s group stage.

Al Sailiya finished third in the Qatar Stars League last year to move within a game of advancing to the Continental competition and boast Iranian international Karim Ansarifard within its ranks.

Shahr Khodro, meanwhile, came fourth in the Iranian Professional League and edged past Bahrain’s Riffa 2-1 in Preliminary Round 2 on Saturday.

The match will be held in Doha’s Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

After overcoming Kuwait SC 3-0 in Preliminary Round 2, Iranian powerhouse Esteghlal must now win away at Qatar’s Al Rayyan in order to return to the Continental competition.

Al Rayyan, meanwhile, is aiming to qualify for the 10th time although it has never been able to make it beyond the group stage.

The pair last faced off in the 2018 group stage, with the game in Doha ending 2-2 and Esteghlal winning 2-0 in Tehran as the Iranian side advanced and Al Rayyan exited.

The match will take place at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

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The Asian Football Confederation, AFC, has reportedly banned Iran from hosting Champions League football matches, so Iranian clubs have decided to quit the tournament.

A series of reports have suggested the AFC sent a letter to the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) telling them that they would not be hosting AFC Champions League matches for the foreseeable future.

Instead, any match featuring an Iranian team would be played in a different country.

In a meeting held on Saturday in the presence of the Iranian Sports Ministry and the presidents of the four football clubs – Persepolis, Sepahan, Shahr Khodro and Esteghlal in Iran Football Federation’s headquarters, the decision was made by them to withdraw from the competition if the confederation wants them to play in neutral venue.

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According To Iran News, After nearly four million votes, the best goal of the 2019 AFC Champions League has been decided with Shojae Khalilzadeh’s incredible scissor kick for Persepolis against Al Ahli named the winning effort following the public poll on the-AFC.com.

Ten fantastic goals were nominated that spanned the Continent from Uzbekistan to Urawa, but it was Persepolis’ defender Khalilzadeh whose amazing acrobatics that captured the attention and favor of Asia’s football fans.

The Iranian had previously won Goal of the Week for Matchday Three and Goal of the Group Stage, and so completes his hat-trick with the overall best goal of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Johor Darul Ta’zim forward Safawi Rasid ran Khalilzadeh close but ultimately finished in second with Al Ittihad’s Romarinho in third.

Khalilzadeh spoke exclusively to The-AFC.com after the poll concluded.

“It was easily the best goal of my career because I scored it for the best club in the world, Persepolis,” he said.

“I would like to thank all the fans who voted for me to win. It means a lot to me for my goal to be voted best in the 2019 AFC Champions League and to be recognized by the AFC. Once again, I would like to thank the fans for all their support and love.”

While the 30-year-old and his teammates were eliminated at the Group Stage in this year’s competition, Iran 2018-19 league champion will have a chance to go again as it enters the draw on Tuesday for the 2020 edition.

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Faghani has recently moved to Australia for personal reasons but said he will officiate as an Iranian referee.

Faghani, who started his career in 1994 and became a FIFA referee in 2008, has officiated finals of the 2014 AFC Champions League, 2015 AFC Asian Cup, 2015 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Football Tournament.

He was also chosen to referee third-place playoff between Belgium and England in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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