Esteghlal drew 1-1 at home with Qatar's Umm Salal in Group C yesterday, a disappointing result for the Iranians which leaves their chances of progressing hanging by a thread. Arash Borhani put Esteghlal ahead a minute before the break, nodding home Siavash Akbarpour's flick on from a free-kick, but Saud Ghanem lobbed home an equaliser for Umm Salal with 20 minutes remaining to ensure both sides took away a point.
The draw leaves Esteghalal bottom of the group on two points with virtually no chance of qualifying. The UAE's Al Jazira played table toppers Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in last night's game. In Group A, which includes the Pro League leaders Al Ahli, the Uzbekistan side Pakhtakor came from behind against Iran's Saba Battery to all but assure a spot in the knockout stages.
Mohammed Nouri scored for Saba after five minutes, but Odil Ahmedov, from the spot on 36 minutes, and Stanislav Andreaf three minutes after the break, sealed victory. Ahli hosted the Saudis Al Hilal last night in the group's other game. * Agencies
