Esteghlal overcame a first-leg deficit against their fellow Iranian outfit Zobahan in the second leg of their AFC Champions League Round of 16 tie and progressed to the quarter-finals.
The star of the show for Esteghlal was striker Mame Thiam who scored a hat-trick as they won 3-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. He was in sensational form for the Iranian team as Zobahan dreams were shattered.
Esteghlal had the perfect start when they were awarded a penalty in the 11th minute. The Senegalese forward converted the spotkick to draw Esteghlal level on aggregate. Thiam was on target again in the 41t minute with a left-footed curler from outside the area that beat the Zobahan goalkeeper all ends up.
The striker then went on to complete his hat-trick by finishing off Server Djeparov's pull-back.
In an excellent individual performance, Thiam had four of his shots on target, posting a conversion rate of 75 percent. It also meant he now has seven strikes to his name.
He was simply sensational on the night for Esteghlal and is aptly named this week's Toyota Asian Player of the Week!
