Esteghlal fans set attendance record
![azad8i-teheran](https://www.persianfootball.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/azad8i-teheran.jpg)
AFC – KUALA LUMPUR, Nearly 65,000 Esteghlal fans flocked to the cavernous Azadi Stadium in Tehran and set a season attendance record on Tuesday when they watched the hosts defeat Saudi rivals Al Ahli 2-1 and book their berth in the AFC Champions League Round of 16.
This was the highest attendance in five group stage matches this season, surpassing the previous figure of 60,000 set during the Esteghlal versus Al Gharafa match.
The second-best stadium attendance record was notched up at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah when Saudi giants Al Ittihad and Uzbek side Bunyodkor drew 1-1. Nearly 18,000 spectators had their tickets punched for this game.
The King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh saw 17,000 fans cheer on home side Al Hilal into the last 16 after a goalless stalemate with Qatari rivals Al Sadd.
The total attendance for match day 5 stood at 890,876.
The overall attendance record this season is about a 100,000 short of one million and this is expected to be breached on the last match day.