TEHRAN - Esteghlal made their way into the Round of 16 with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Al Muharraq in their final AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 Group A tie on Wednesday.

Goals from Esmaeil Gholizadeh, Duckens Nazon and Jasir Asani gave the Iran side eight points at the Sheikh Ali Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium, six behind group winners Al Wasl of the UAE.

Bahrain’s Al Muharraq, who were also in the running coming into the match, finished a point adrift.

Esteghlal keeper Antonio Adan almost gifted Al Muharraq in the sixth minute when he fumbled a shot from Abdulkareem Diara but recovered in time to push the ball out for a corner.

He did better moments later, however, tipping over Soufiane Mahrouq’s blistering shot from the left.

Esteghlal, however, scored against the run of play in the 15th minute when Gholizadeh outpaced the defense and slid the ball home from close range after connecting to a Saleh Hardani cross from the right.

The match turned scrappy after the initial excitement, with Esteghlal’s Saeid Saharkhizan the only one to take a turn at goal when his diving header from the center of the area in the 42nd minute was easily saved by Al Muharraq custodian Sayed Jaafar.

Attempts by Al Muharraq to get back into the game in the second half were cut short when defender Waleed Alhayam was sent off in the 60th minute after picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Saharkhizan.

The visitors failed to make use of their numerical advantage until the 82nd minute, when Duckens Nazon came down the left and stroked the ball past Jaafar from a tight angle before Asani curled home into the bottom left corner five minutes later to propel his side into the knockout stage, the-afc.com reported.