The Iranian team was held to a 1-1 draw by Lokomotiv of Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Tashkent but the result was not enough for the host to progress to the knockout stage.
In the 25th minute, Mohammad Reza Hosseini skillfully controlled the ball and sent a defense-splitting through pass for Morteza Tabrizi who netted his fifth goal of the campaign.
Islom Tukhtakhujaev equalized the match in the 90th minute with a shot from the left side of the box to the top right corner.
The draw was enough for Zob Ahan to accompany Al Duhail of Qatar into the round of 16 from Group B on the back of a better head-to-head record with Lokomotiv, having won the reverse fixture 2-0.
Zob Ahan will face fellow Iranian side Esteghlal in next stage,