Tabrizi nets brace as Zobahan trounce Wahda
Isfahan — A Morteza Tabrizi brace fired Zobahan to a 2-0 home win over Al Wahda in the 2018 AFC Champions League Group B on Tuesday.
A lively start to the game saw the two sides exchange attempts inside the first five minutes. Al Wahda goalkeeper Mohammed Al Shamsi was forced into a reflex save after Bakhtiar Rahmani’s side-footed effort from inside the box.
The visitors responded instantly through Sebastian Tagliabue’s solo effort, but the Argentine’s low drive from an angle was pushed away by goalkeeper Mohammad Mazaheri.
Al Shamsi was left to pick up the ball from his own net in the 34th minute when Tabrizi opened the scoring from Sayed Hosseini’s cross. The striker was well positioned at the far post to head home the cross for his second goal of the campaign. Rahmani nearly doubled Zobahan’s lead in the 56th minute after he curled a shot with the outside of his foot, but saw it ricochet off the upright and fall for Kiros who was caught offguard and failed to take his chance with the empty goal at his mercy from six yards out.
Tabrizi doubled the hosts’ lead in the 72nd minute, benefitting from a defensive lapse that allowed Kiros to get on the end of a long pass and set up his teammate behind Al Wahda’s defence. Tabrizi then deftly attempted a placed shot from 30 yards out that nestled into the back of the net.
Zobahan will go into next week’s Matchday Four fixture in Abu Dhabi with six points to their name, while Al Wahda will look to avenge their defeat and end their winless run in the competition which now stands at four games.