Esteghlal were held 0-0 by Saipa in the 26th round to remain third in the 18-team standings with 46 points, four less than leaders Zob Ahan.
This was the third consecutive draw for Esteghlal following their 1-1 stalemate with Qatar’s Al Sadd in the ACL opener last week and a goalless draw with Mes in the domestic league.
Zob Ahan, who defeated UAE’s Emirates 2-1 in their ACL opener and were held 0-0 by Traktor in the Iran Pro League last week, played a 2-2 draw with Rah Ahan.
Mohammad Ghazi Najafabadi drew the first blood for Zob Ahan in the third minute only to see Iman Razaghirad restore the parity eight minutes after the hour mark.
Meysam Aghaei put Rah Ahan ahead seven minutes from time but Seyed Mohammad Hosseini Farimani netted the equaliser in the stoppage time for Zob Ahan.
Zob Ahan will meet Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab away on March 16 while Esteghlal will face Saudi’s Al Nassr away a day earlier.