Dragan Skocic’s side made a blistering start to take control of the game, Lushkja clinically thumping the ball into the bottom corner of Darwish Mohammed’s goal with only eight minutes on the clock.

The move started when Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh burst down the left to curl his cross towards Hashemnejad with the outside of his right foot. Hashemnejad headed down to Lushkja and, after taking a touch to steady himself, the Albanian struck.

The visitors’ advantage was doubled three minutes later, with Lushkja again on target. Hosseinzadeh’s clever flick gave the striker the space to shoot and, although he slipped as he met the ball, Mohammed fumbled the ball over his goal line.

Cho Yu-min should have pulled one back for Sharjah in the 20th minute, the defender somehow steering his header from the edge of the six yard box wide after rising unopposed to meet Adel Taarabt’s centre from the left.

Mohammed denied Tractor a third with six minutes left in the half, the goalkeeper beating away Tibor Halilovic’s effort from wide on the left.

But the Iranians just needed an additional minute to add to their total. Hashemnezhad played the ball into Hosseinzadeh and his return pass was steered beyond Mohammed by the midfielder after he burst into the box.

There was to be further pain for Sharjah in stoppage time at the end of the half, Esmaeilifar bursting into the penalty area to collect Hashemnezhad’s cutback from the byeline and coolly slot into the bottom corner.

Alireza Beiranvand denied Guilherme Biro when he tried his luck from distance for a Sharjah side desperate to find a way back into the game and, with six minutes remaining, substitute Kazemyani added the fifth as he stroked home a right-foot shot.