Goals by Bafetimbi Gomis and Salem Al-Dawsari secure a 2-0 victory over Iranian opponents at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai DUBAI: Al-Hilal reached the last eight of the AFC Champions League on Monday night, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Esteghlal of Iran at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. The Riyadh giants are the first side to claim a place in the quarter-finals of the continent’s premier club competition. After a frantic opening, including several tackles bordering on the dangerous, Esteghlal settled quicker. From the 20th minute until just after the hour mark, they exerted sustained pressure on Al-Hilal that almost was rewarded with a goal, but Leonardo Jardim’s team weathered the storm to slowly get themselves back into the match. It was to be Al-Hilal who made the breakthrough, six minutes before the break, when a brilliant display of control and a clever pass by Matheus Pereira paid off as Bafetimbi Gomis clipped the ball past Hossein Hosseini in the Esteghlal goal. Salem Al-Dawsari almost doubled the lead after 50 minutes but his low shot was saved by Hosseini, as Al-Hilal looked to be taking control of the early stages of the second half. Six minutes later, the Saudi international had another chance and this time made no mistake as he collected Moussa Marega’s incisive pass and finished clinically with his left foot. With just over half an hour left the match looked to be over with Esteghlal, whose domestic league season has yet to start, not yet able to match fitness levels of their opponents. On the occasions when the Iranian side did find a way through to goal, they found Al-Hilal keeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf in fine form. Al-Hilal could have sealed the match with a third goal in the closing moments but were wasteful with their finishing. It did not matter, however, and the final whistle confirmed what was ultimately a comfortable win for the 2019 AFC Champions League winners.