Al-Gharafa vs Esteghlal FC 1-2

Esteghlal FC left Al Rayyan with a 2-1 win after taking the lead in the first half and regaining it shortly after the interval. Jasir Asani scored the opener soon after coming on, and Hossein Goudarzi struck the winner on 60 minutes.

Asani had been brought on in the 32nd minute and put Esteghlal FC ahead in the 37th, finishing Saleh Hardani’s assist. Al-Gharafa changed at the break, with Dame Traore making way for Hassan Aladin on 45 minutes, and Ferjani Sassi levelled in the 48th minute from Seydou Sano’s pass. The half-time score was Al-Gharafa 0-1 Esteghlal FC.

Goudarzi restored Esteghlal FC’s lead on 60 minutes, and that proved enough despite Al-Gharafa’s changes and pressure. The home side made two changes on 75 minutes, with Florinel Coman replacing Seydou Sano and Mason Holgate coming on for Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, then added another on 80 minutes when Amjed Nasar Mohamed replaced Yacine Brahimi. Esteghlal FC also turned to the bench again, with Alireza Koushki replacing Jaloliddin Masharipov on 53 minutes and Mohammadhossein Eslami coming on for Asani on 67 minutes.

Al-Gharafa had 55% of possession, 355 passes to Esteghlal FC’s 442, and more shots, 17 to 10, with 8 on target compared with 3. They also finished with 9 corners to 5 and an xG of 1.85 to 0.78, while Esteghlal FC made 7 saves and Al-Gharafa made 1.

Esteghlal FC picked up three yellow cards, for Jaloliddin Masharipov on 44 minutes, Roozbeh Cheshmi three minutes into first-half stoppage time and Esmaeil Gholizadeh on 82 minutes. Al-Gharafa were not booked, and there were no red cards.