Reversal of fortunes: Bunyodkor-Zobahan

The biggest upset of Match Day 4 of the AFC Champions League 2010 was Zobahan’s 1-0 victory over Uzbek giants Bunyodkor in Tashkent. The-afc.com takes a special look at the turnaround of both teams in Group B.

Following hot on the heels of the Iranians 3-0 home win over the same opponents on MD3, Zobahan are now top of the Group B on 10 points, three ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad. Bunik, who won their first two matches and are packed with star quality, now find themselves in danger of missing out on qualification to the last 16 and the pressure is firmly on their Brazilian World Cup-winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari.

Zobahan started their AFC Champions League 2010 campaign with a 1-0 victory at home to UAE’s Al Wahda.

It was a laboured, if expected triumph that many pundits felt was the Iranian side’s only hope for points in a group that also featured Asian giants Al Ittihad and Bunyodkor.

A 2-2 draw away to Ittihad in their next match raised a few eyebrows, not so much for Zob Ahan’s performance but for how the Saudis managed to waste a chance against the unfancied Iranians.

Turnaround

However, Match Days 3 & 4 saw Zob Ahan turn the group on its head in stunning fashion. A 3-0 home win against previously unbeaten Bunyodkor and a sensational follow-up 1-0 triumph in Tashkent had Zob Ahan standing proudly atop the group and o the verge of a last 16 place.

With bottom side Wahda visiting Esfahan on Match Day 5, Zobahan are in the driving seat and could seal their advance even before entertaining Ittihad on MD6.

Striker Mohammad Reza Khalatbari has been a key figure in both wins over the Uzbeks, scoring at home and the winner in Tashkent.

Nearly there

Coach Mansour Ebrahimzadeh must now only ensure his teams do the simple things well to emerge from the group in only their second ACL campaign.

“We prepared well for the match and we knew that it would be difficult,” said the coach.

“We capitalised on the mistakes made by our opponents and it helped us to win. I’d like to congratulate our fans and my players for this win.”

Here are some interesting facts that you may or may not have known about the Iran Pro League side Zobahan.

• They are sponsored by a steel company, which is the focal point of the club and its fans. They are very much a community-based club, with the majority of fans have closing connections to the company as employees or their families.
• They are based in Esfahan and have an intense rivalry with regional rivals Sepahan, also owned by a steel company.
• They were runners-up in the Iran Pro League last year. Their victory in the Hafzi Cup enabled their rivals Sepahan to claim Iran’s fourth AFC Champions League 2010 place.
• They have never won their domestic title but have two won Hafzi Cups – 2003 and 2009.
• They narrowly lost the league title in 2009 on goal difference on the last day of the season. They also finished runners-up in 2005.
• They made their debut in ACL in 2004, finishing second in Group A behind Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor.
• They are one of the few ACL teams who rely mostly on home-grown players. They fielded only one foreign player (Brazilian Igor Castro) on Tuesday against Bunyodkor, who were bolstered by overseas players and a World Cup-winning Brazilian coach. Castro played only 30 minutes.
• They have no regular national team players. Mohammad Reza Khalatbari, who scored against Bunyodkor, is a fringe player for Team Melli. Khalatbari has scored nine goals in the league so far.