Esteghlal's Champions League boost

AFC - Iranian side Esteghlal gave themselves a massive confidence boost ahead of their debut appearance in Qualifying Round 3 of the inaugural AFC Champions League following their 1-0 victory over Foulad in the final of the six-team Ettehadieh (Union) Cup over the weekend.

Yadollah Akbari's 70th minute penalty was enough to give the Tehran giants their first silverware under new head coach Ronald Koch, who took over from the legendary Mansour Pourheidari.

The Union Cup - also referred to as the Goldstone Cup after the tournament sponsors - brought together Esteghlal, Foulad, fellow Iran Pro-League sides Pas and Abumoslem, as well as Tehran outfit Homa and the Azerbaijan national team.

But Esteghlal cannot rest on their laurels as they must now prepare for their Champions League bow when they host Faisaly in the first leg of their third round tie on October 9.

With Iran currently participating in the Asian Games, Esteghlal are likely to have to do without the promising striker Ali Reza Vahedinikbakht for the third qualifying round of the groundbreaking US$3 million tournament. However, they can rely on the experienced Ali Samereh who has returned to the Blues after a season on-loan with Italian Serie A side Perugia.

The winners of the intriguing battle between Esteghlal, the two-time Asian Club Championship winners, and Faisaly who have never previously made an impact in continental competition despite their phenomenal 28 national league titles, will play either Al Ahli Sana'a or Uzbekistan's Neftchi in the fourth and final qualifying round.

The AFC Champions League, which was launched in August, replaces the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup. The winning team will take home a first prize of US$500,000.

Four qualifiers from East Asia and four from the West will join eight seeded teams in the group stages in March.