Esteghlal vs Al Nassr highlights, EST 0-0 NAS, AFC Champions League Elite R016: First-leg finishes goalless

Esteghlal vs Al Nassr highlights, EST 0-0 NAS, AFC Champions League Elite R016: First-leg finishes goalless

Both teams got their fair share of chances but the first-leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 match between Esteghlal FC and Al Nassr finishes in a goalless draw. The second-leg will be played in Riyadh on March 10. 

Two minutes added at the end of the second-half!

Ramin crosses inside the box from the right and Kojo gets at the end of it. He gets a header away but finds the wrong side of the net. It was a difficult chance for the second-half substitute. 

Wesley rolls the ball to Mane at the edge of the box, who goes for a first-time shot, aiming for the far-corner. However, he fails to generate the necessary power and it is an easy catch for the Esteghlal keeper. 

Al-Fatil gets a header away from a corner but cannot keep his effort on target. 

Al Nassr sub: IN- Wesley OUT- Angelo 

Al Nassr wastes another chance – this time from a counter. Angelo carries the ball and rolls it to Duran on the right side of the box. Duran shoots at the near-post but is denied by a fingertip save from Hosseini. 

Duran tries to get at the end of a cross by Nawaf but Ramin does well to chest the ball back to his keeper. Duran tells the referee there might have been a handball but the referee waves play to continue. 

Esteghlal sub: IN- Masharipov OUT- Ahmadi

Hosseini has hurt himself in the process of coming off his line and is currently on the ground. However, it does not look serious and he should be okay after some medical attention. 

Duran lobs the ball to Angelo, who times his run inside the box to perfection. Hosseini comes off his line to narrow the angle but Angelo somehow gets his shot away from a tight angle. His shot hits the crossbar and comes back into play. 

It has been a tale of two halves till now. The first half completely belonged to Al Nassr but Esteghlal has come out all guns blazing in the second-half. Defensively, both teams have had shaky moments and both should have scored by now. 

Nawaf crosses from the right flank, looking for Mane, who had made a run at the far-post. Mane reaches the ball but cannot control it the ball goes out of play. 

Duran sees Hosseini off his line and goes for a lob but he does not catch it perfectly as the Esteghlal keeper gets a hand to it. The idea was right but the execution was not. 

Yahya goes for a first-time volley from the edge of the box but sees his effort blocked. 

Close – Esteghlal with its best chance of the match. Armin swings a good cross from the left flank which finds Ramin in the centre. Ramin does well to head the goal across the face of the goal but sees the ball go agonisingly wide. Bento was a mere spectator as the ball went pass him. If that was a target, it would have been Esteghlal’s first goal. 

Esteghlal sub: IN- Kojo OUT- Reza Azadi 

Esteghlal looks to get on the attack as Koushki gets at the end of a cross from the left flank but he could not control the ball as it goes out of play. 

Scores level at 0-0 as the second-half gets underway!

Al Nassr has dominated the first 45 but the match stays goalless as the referee blows his whistle for half-time. 

Mane makes a run for a ball played over the top. Hosseini comes off his line to catch the ball but spills it. Mane gets the ball with an open net in front of him and manages to poke the ball towards goal. But the Al Nassr forward sees the ball roll past the wrong side of the post. 

Two minutes added at the end of the first-half!

Both teams have not shied away from attacking but Al Nassr has had the better chances till now. 

Al Nassr stitches a good attack, which ends up Mane entering the box with a darting run but he cannot get his shot away and goes to the ground under pressure. 

Brozovic swings a cross inside the box from a freekick. Simakan gets at the end of the ball and gets a header away but fails to keep it on target. 

Duran with a brilliant chance to give Al Nassr the lead after a brilliant first-touch allows him to create some space inside the box. He then shoots low from the right side but Esteghlal keeper Hosseini makes a good save. 

Angelo clips a ball for Duran, who had made a good run inside the box. He gets a shot away but it is from a tight angle and he fails to trouble the keeper. 

Chance – Duran’s shot from inside the box is saved by the Esteghlal keeper and the rebound falls to Yahya, who heads the ball towards the empty goal. It would have been a sure goal if not for Rouzbeh Cheshmi’s goal-line clearance. 

Brozovic crosses the ball inside the box, with Mane trying to get at the end of it but the Senegalese, under forward, cannot get a touch to it. 

Mehran Ahmadi cuts in to his right inside the Al Nassr box and then aims for the top-left corner with a curling effort but the shot has too much power and the ball goes wide, much to the relief of Al NAssr keeper Bento. 

Koushki of Esteghlal makes a darting run down the left flank after an excellent turn and then crosses inside the box but didn’t have any teammate in support to attack the ball. 

Al Nassr has been the more attacking team in the opening minutes of the first half. Esteghlal players have mostly been pegged back inside their own half. 

Al Nassr goes for a fast start – Nawaf crosses inside the box but it is an easy catch for Esteghlal keeper Hosseini. 

The first-half of the AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 clash between Esteghlal and Al Nassr gets underway at the Azadi Sports Complex. 

Al Nassr will face Esteghlal FC in the first-leg of their AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 clash at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran on Monday.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr finished third in their group (B) in the league phase, accumulating 17 points. Coming into this match on the back of a 2-1 loss against Al Orobah in the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr will look to get back to winning ways.

Esteghlal FC, also in the same group as Al Nassr, finished sixth with nine points. The hosts are having a dull season in the Iran Pro League, currently placed ninth in the competition. It lost 1-2 against Persepolis in its last match.

Published on Mar 03, 2025