Two goals from Morteza Tabrizi and Mohammad Reza Hosseini saw Islamic Republic of Iran's Zobahan clinch a 2-0 home win over Uzbekistan's Lokomotiv in their 2018 AFC Champions League Group B game on Monday.
Although the visitors dominated possession during the early parts of the game, Zobahan seemed likelier to make the breakthrough as both Kiros and Tabrizi came close to scoring within the opening half-hour.
The first period ended goalless but within two minutes of the restart, the hosts finally took the lead. Tabrizi was well positioned to power home a header after Hosseini floated in a pin-point free kick.
Zobahan proceeded to hold on to their one-goal cushion for the remainder of the half, despite the best efforts of Lokomotiv who were unable to break through a resolute defensive barrier set up by Amir Ghalenoei's men. In the second minute of added time, Hosseini made it 2-0 to Zobahan with a close-range strike after the Uzbek defence failed to clear Mehdi Rajabzadeh's corner.
The result gave Zobahan their first win of the campaign, putting them level on points with Lokomotiv in the Group B standings. Zobahan host United Arab Emirates side Al Wahda on Matchday Three while Lokomotiv travel to Doha to face Al Duhail.
