TEHRAN, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Esteghlal of Iran defeated Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Group D of the 2018 AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

In the match held in Muscat's Seeb Stadium, Abdullah Al-Hafith scored an own goal just before the halftime.

In the 67th minute, Al Hilal goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was shown a straight red card after handling the ball outside his area.

Esteghlal could have scored more goals but their strikers missed their chances.

Esteghlal remain top of the table with 4 points, followed by Al Rayyan of Qatar, the UAE's Al Ain and Al Hilal.

Esteghlal will meet Al Ain in the UAE on March 6 and Al Hilal will entertain Qatar's Al Rayyan in Riyadh. Enditem