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PLDC - Al Wasl FC secured their place in the AFC Champions League Two™ 2025/26 Round of 16 after earning a 1–1 draw against Esteghlal on Wednesday. The result puts the UAE club on 11 points and confirms them as Group A winners with one match remaining. Esteghlal must now battle Al Muharraq for the second qualification spot.
Esteghlal started strongly and took the lead in the 6th minute. Esmaeil Gholizadeh dribbled along the goal-line, saw his first shot blocked, and then set up Saeid Saharkhizan for an easy finish.
Their momentum was disrupted in the 18th minute when Munir El Haddadi left the match with a hamstring injury, forcing an early substitution.
Al Wasl struggled to create chances in the first half, with Rustamjon Ashurmatov cutting out their best move just before the break.
The second half saw a shift, with Al Wasl putting pressure on Esteghlal’s defence. They nearly equalised in the 55th minute when Adama Diallo rounded Antonio Adan, only for Saman Fallah to block on the goal-line.
The visitors finally levelled in the 63rd minute through Hugo Goncalves, who combined with Serginho before placing a tidy finish into the bottom corner.
Esteghlal pushed late through Asani and Hossein Goodarzi, but could not find a winner and had to settle for a point.
