Iran’s Tractor arrives in Jeddah and confirms Asian Champions League last-16 match

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Iranian club Tractor has arrived in Saudi Arabia amid the war in the Middle East and confirmed on Monday it will play in the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16.

The West Asia playoffs were postponed in March after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. After the round of 16 was rescheduled and Iran’s game against Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates moved to the Saudi city of Jeddah, questions lingered over whether Tractor — the 2025 Iranian league champion — would take part.

Iran has fired missiles into Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally.

Tractor arrived in Jeddah on Sunday after a long journey; traveling by land from its home city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran into Turkey and then flying from Istanbul.

“Our situation going into this match is complicated, and the 90 minutes against Shabab Al-Ahli will be difficult for us,” Tractor coach Mohammad Rabiei said in a press conference on Monday, a day before the match.

The team has not played a competitive game since Feb. 28 as the Iranian league has been suspended.

“We have high ambitions to win our upcoming matches and reach the Asian final,” Rabiei added. ”Starting tomorrow everyone will see the high level we possess, despite the major challenges we have faced recently.”

On Monday, Karim Benzema missed a penalty in a shootout as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal lost to Qatar’s Al-Sadd 4-2 after their round-of-16 match ended 3-3 after extra time.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring for Al-Hilal, a four-time champion, in the first half but Brazilian forward Claudinho equalized seven minutes later. Shortly after halftime, Salem Al-Dawsari put Al-Hilal back in front, only for Rafa Mujica to level again.

Marcos Leonardo restored the lead in the 67th minute, and three minutes later former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino made it 3-3 to send the game into extra time and then penalties.

Elsewhere, Riyad Mahrez scored after 117 minutes to give defending champion Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia a 1-0 win over Al-Duhail of Qatar. Earlier in extra time, England striker Ivan Toney missed a penalty for Al-Ahli.

Jeddah will stage the rest of the tournament. The quarterfinals begin on Thursday and the final is scheduled for April 25.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Champions League: Barcelona eye Atletico comeback | Football News

Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford, left, celebrates after scoring his side’s fourth goal with Lamine Yamal, right, and Pedri during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Espanyol in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo) Barcelona: Marcus Rashford had his chance against Atletico Madrid, but failed to take it — or any of

What does European football think of the Premier League’s style of play?

In Luis Enrique’s Champions League post-match press conference last week, The Athletic asked the Paris Saint-Germain manager about his sustained commitment to an ultra-creative, ultra-technical approach when this season’s trends in the Premier League have been towards more attritional playing styles and an increased emphasis on set pieces. “I can’t analyse other teams,” the Spaniard

Liverpool vs. PSG: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Liverpool need to produce one of those vintage Anfield nights to sustain their Champions League campaign on Tuesday night. The Reds take on holders Paris Saint-Germain with a 2–0 deficit to make up, having struggled to lay a glove on Luis Enrique’s side in last week’s quarterfinal first leg. Arne Slot’s switch to a back

Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona, Champions League: Preview

Atlético de Madrid vs FC Barcelona Competition/Round: 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, Quarter-Finals, 2nd Leg First Leg Result: Barcelona 0-2 Atlético Madrid Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Pau Cubarsí, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen (out), Marc Bernal (doubt) Advertisement Atlético Outs & Doubts: José Giménez, Dávid Hancko, Marc Pubill (out), Pablo Barrios (doubt) Barcelona Form Guide: WWWLW Atlético Form

Real Madrid star to return to starting XI vs Bayern Munich

A member of the midfield ranks at La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid is set to return to starting duties on the continent on Wednesday night. The player in question? Jude Bellingham. England international Bellingham was for his part forced to watch on from the bench from the off last week, as Real Madrid locked horns

Troy Deeney’s Team of the Week: Okafor, Castellanos, Scott and Ngumoha

Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool): What a talent this kid is! Young, energetic, carefree. He is not afraid to go at his defender and makes something happen every single time. It was a wonderful goal. He just looks like a young kid having fun, which is the best part about his game. Alex Scott (Bournemouth): After the

Anthony Gordon: Bayern Munich reportedly open talks with Newcastle over summer move – Paper Talk and football transfer gossip | Football News

The top stories and transfer rumours from Tuesday’s newspapers… Premier League Bayern Munich have reportedly opened talks over a move for Newcastle star Anthony Gordon – The Sun Newcastle United’s ownership continue to support Eddie Howe despite the club’s struggles this season with all parties intending to evaluate the managerial situation this summer – The

Real Madrid can activate Bundesliga star’s cut-price release clause this summer

La Liga giants Real Madrid are on a short list of clubs with the option to bring in Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck for a reduced fee this summer. This comes owing to a clause in the German international’s new contract at Signal Iduna Park. Advertisement The name of defender Schlotterbeck has of course long

Barcelona star sends heartfelt message to Neymar Jr.

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has on Monday sent a fresh message of appreciation the way of former Blaugrana standout Neymar Jr. This comes as Hansi Flick’s troops prepare their best efforts for another historic comeback on the continent tomorrow evening. Advertisement Barcelona are currently preparing for a Champions League quarter-final return leg meeting with La

Brazil coach says Neymar still has time to make World Cup squad

Brazil star Neymar still has time to recover from recent injuries and return to form well enough to play in this summer’s FIFA World Cup, according to Brazil’s coach Carlo Ancelotti. “He is capable of getting back to 100%,” Ancelotti told L’Equipe in response to questions about Neymar. “He is being assessed by the CBF

Levante vs Getafe: Spanish La Liga stats & head-to-head

1 Barcelona 31 26 1 4 84 30 54 79 W Result Win W Result Win W Result Win W Result Win W Result Win W Result Win 2 Real Madrid 31 22 4 5 65 29 36 70 L Result Loss W Result Win W Result Win W Result Win L Result Loss D

Liverpool star in ‘advanced talks’ to join Premier League rivals

Tottenham in Advanced Talks for Andy Robertson: What It Means for Liverpool and Spurs The future of Andy Robertson appears increasingly clear, with Tottenham Hotspur now leading the race to secure his signature. As first reported by Sami Mokbel for BBC Sport, discussions are progressing quickly, with Spurs said to be in “advanced talks” over

Atletico Madrid v Barcelona Champions League TV channel, live stream, kick-off time

Barcelona travel to the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the hope of overturning a two-goal deficit in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid. The LaLiga leaders’ 14-game winning run at the Nou Camp came to an end in a 2-0 defeat to Atletico in last week’s opener, with Julian Alvarez

Serie A official line-ups: Fiorentina vs. Lazio

Fiorentina have the opportunity to go eight points clear of the relegation zone, but the injury crisis intensifies as Lazio welcome back Mattia Zaccagni and Patric. It kicks off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST). Advertisement You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

Marie-Louise Eta and the history-making trailblazers setting standards in the game

Football’s female trailblazers, from superstar players to referees Ada Hegerberg When it comes to discussing the modern stars of women’s football, Ada Hegerberg is undoubtedly in high esteem. The Norwegian was crowned the first winner of the Ballon d’Or Féminin, the coveted award for the world’s best player of the year, in 2018. Hegerberg will be

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x