AFC Champions League QF profiles: Naft Tehran

AFC – KUALA LUMPUR, As the AFC Champions League quarter-final first legs draw closer, join the-afc.com as we profile each of the remaining eight teams – starting with Iran’s Naft Tehran.

How They Qualified

A third-place finish in the Iranian league in the 2013-14 season saw Naft Tehran earn a spot in the AFC Champions League Play-off Round for the first time. They duly beat Qatar’s El Jaish 1-0 in February to progress to the Group Stage.

Naft Tehran have reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League in their first-ever appearance in the continental club championship as the upwardly mobile side from the Iranian capital continue to make an impression.

Under former Iran international midfielder Alireza Mansourian, Naft advanced to the Round of 16 as runners-up from Group B after finishing behind Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates but ahead of Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor.

And Naft progressed to the last eight of the competition on the away goals rule despite losing the second leg of their meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 2-1, leaving the teams to share a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

Iman Mobali, once seen as one of the brightest prospects in Iranian football, has become central to the way the team operates under Mansourian, with the former Esteghlal and Foolad midfielder dictating much of the team’s play.

Iran striker Gholamreza Rezaei (pictured, above) leads the attacking line, meanwhile, for a team that finished third for the second season in a row in the Iran Pro League while also finishing as runners-up in the Hazfi Cup.

Group B: – Al Ain (UAE), Naft Tehran (IRN), Pakhtakor (UZB), Al Shabab (KSA)

PAKHTAKOR v NAFT TEHRAN Result: 2-1
Venue: Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent: Kakhi Makharadze 48’, Igor Sergeev 85’; Ali Ghorbani 59’

NAFT TEHRAN v AL AIN Result: 1-1
Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran: Siamak Kooroshi 49’; Asamoah Gyan (P) 59’

NAFT TEHRAN v AL SHABAB Result: 2-1
Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran: Amir Motahhari 86’, Leandro Padovani 90’; Naif Hazazi (P) 43

AL SHABAB v. NAFT TEHRAN Result: 0-3
Venue: Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh: Vahid Amiry 57’, Amir Motahhari 83’, Reza Aliyari 90+1’

NAFT TEHRAN v PAKHTAKOR Result: 1-1
Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran: Gholamreza Rezaei 25’, Vladimir Kozak 36’

AL AIN v NAFT TEHRAN Result: 3-0
Venue: Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain: Omar Abdulrahman 63’, Asamoah Gyan 74’, Jires Kembo-Ekoko 87’

Round of 16

NAFT TEHRAN (IRN) vs AL AHLI (KSA) Result: 1-0
Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran: Gholamreza Rezaei 34’

AL AHLI (KSA) vs NAFT TEHRAN (IRN) Result: 2-1 (2-2 AG, Naft win on away goals)
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah: Omar Al Soma 36’, 42’, Leandro Padovani 31’

The Coach

Alireza Mansourian has emerged as one of the new breed of coaches in Iran, graduating from a playing career that saw him represent his nation at the finals of the FIFA World Cup in France in 1998. The former midfielder played professionally in Greece and Germany as well as in his native Iran before turning to coaching. Mansourian previously worked as coach of Iran’s U-23 team.

What Next

Naft Tehran begin their quarter-finals campaign with a home clash against the UAE’s Al Ahli on August 26. They will travel to Dubai for the return leg on September 16.

Did You Know?

While the club was established by the National Iranian Oil Company in 1950, they did not compete in the top tier of the Iranian league until 2011 where they have finished third in the past two seasons.