DOHA : Al Gharafa suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Iran’s Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday, with Hossein Goudarzi scoring the winner after Ferjani Sassi had equalised for the Qatar side.
Jasir Asani gave Esteghlal the lead in the 37th minute with a long-range strike that dipped beyond goalkeeper Ahmad Kone and into the top-left corner.
Kone kept Al Gharafa in the contest with a save from Saeid Saharkhizan in stoppage time, while Esteghlal goalkeeper Habib Abbasi denied attempts from Adam Ounas and Abdulrahman Faiz Al Rashidi before the interval.
Al Gharafa made a strong start to the second half and drew level three minutes after the restart. Sassi found space inside the Esteghlal penalty area and side-footed the ball past Abbasi.
The visitors restored their lead in the 60th minute when Goudarzi was given room on the left and shot from distance. Kone failed to hold the effort, allowing the ball to bounce off his hands and roll into the bottom-left corner.
Esteghlal threatened again when Saharkhizan’s shot deflected off Al Gharafa midfielder Ayoub Aloui in the 79th minute.
Al Gharafa pushed for another equaliser late on, but Abbasi blocked Alaa Hasan’s close-range effort in the 84th minute before Rustamjon Ashurnatov cleared an Aloui attempt off the line.
The defeat marked Al Gharafa’s second loss in the competition, while Esteghlal secured another three points.
