FC Ravshan (TJK) 1-3 Tractor SC (IRN) [VIDEO]
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Goals from the Islamic Republic of Iran international in the 26th and 32nd minutes gave the visitors total command of the tie and Tomislav Strkalj added the third 10 minutes from time to put the result beyond doubt.
The win is Tractor’s second of the campaign and moves the Tabriz-based side three points clear of second-placed Al Wakrah from Qatar while Ravshan have yet to secure their first point in the competition.
The Iranians had few issues claiming the points, although Alireza Beiranvand was called upon to make an early save when Kholmurod Nazarov connected with Jamshed Maksumov’s free kick into the area, the goalkeeper doing just enough to collect the ball.
Tractor’s Strkalj forced Yevhen Hrytsenko into a 16th minute reflex save at the other end of the pitch as the visitors sought the opener and Ravhsan’s resistance was only to last another 10 minutes.
Samuel Ofori only cleared Strkalj’s corner from the Tractor left as far as Danial Esmailifar, who swung the ball back into the penalty area and Hosseinzadeh made no mistake, powering his header into the bottom corner.
Six minutes later Hosseinzadeh added his side’s second, Strkalj releasing Mahdi Torabi down the left side of the penalty area and the winger squared the ball across the face of goal for the 23-year-old to side-foot home from close range.
Hrytsenko denied Hosseinzadeh a first-half hat-trick four minutes before the interval with a close range save from the forward, pushing the ball wide for a corner after a strike from eight yards out.
Nazarov’s free kick from the edge of the penalty area in the 65th minute made it past the defensive wall as Ravshan sought to halve the visitors’ lead but a deflection off his own player looped the ball agonisingly over the bar.
Seconds later Strkalj should have scored a third for Tractor, the Croatian forward dragging his right-foot shot wide of the post after Torabi’s through ball had given him the time and space to strike.
The centre forward eventually did add to Tractor’s tally, converting with a side-footed volley from six yards out after beating the Ravshan attempts to play him offside as Ricardo Alves swung the ball in from the left.
Two minutes into injury time David Mawutor swept in a right-foot finish to earn a consolation for Ravshan but Tractor closed out the game to secure a deserved win.
