Lekhwiya players congratulate Vladimir Weiss (second from left) after he scored the winner against Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor during their AFC Champions League match at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha yesterday.

AFC/Doha/Tashkent

A solitary goal from Vladimir Weiss earned Lekhwiya a 1-0 win over Bunyodkor that leaves the Uzbek club on the verge of elimination from the 2015 AFC Champions League with just two rounds remaining in the group stage.
Weiss’s goal came two minutes before the end of the first half and delivered Lekhwiya a win that ensures they remain in contention for a place in the Round of 16, just two points behind Group A leaders Persepolis.
The Iranians lead the way with nine points while Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr fill third spot, two points behind Lekhwiya with Bunyodkor rooted to the bottom with only one point from their opening four games.
Lekhwiya dominated possession in the opening 45 minutes, and it was thanks to a fine individual effort from Weiss that the hosts took the lead, going in front in the 43rd minute.
Weiss picked the ball up just inside the penalty area before edging ahead of Dostonbek Khamdamov and curling his shot beyond Akbar Turaev with the outside of his right foot.
The Qataris pushed for a second throughout the second half, with Sebastian Soria denied by Bunyodkor goalkeeper Turaev 18 minutes from time while, seven minutes later, the Uruguay-born Qatar international spurned another chance, this time shooting over the bar from close range.
More heroics from Turaev in the dying minutes ensured Bunyodkor stayed in with a chance of picking up something from the game, but the Uzbek side were incapable of building on the performance of their goalkeeper and slipped to a third loss of the 2015 competition.
Bunyodkor’s next game is on April 22, when they take host Al Nassr in a game they must win to harbour any hope of advancing the next phase while Lekhwiya take on Persepolis in a top-of-the-table clash in Doha.
In Tashkent, Uzbekistan side Lokomotiv gained revenge for their 6-2 defeat in Doha last month by securing a 5-0 rout over 2011 champions Al Sadd in Group C.
With only one point from three games going into encounter at Lokomotiv Stadium, coach Vadim Abramov knew only a win would keep the Uzbeks’ hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16 alive, and two goals within the first 15 minutes from forward Marat Bikmaev set them well on their way.
Then after Al Sadd missed two gilt-edged chances before half-time, midfielder Sanjar Shaakhmedov all but finished the game off in the 54th minute when he made it 3-0 before substitutes Damir Kojasevic and Ruslan Korian wrapped things up in the final 10 minutes to give Lokomotiv a comprehensive victory.
The home side started like they had a point to prove and took the lead in the seventh minute after midfielder Sardor Mirzayev broke down the right before cutting the ball back to forward Ikromjon Alibaev, and when his shot was parried by keeper Muhannad Naim, Bikmaev was on hand to tap in the rebound from close range.
The Uzbeks then doubled their lead after 14 minutes following good work down the left by Jasur Khasanov, whose cross was well taken down by Bikmaev before he finished with his left foot from just a few yards out.
But the visitors should have pulled one back midway through the first half when Brazilian striker Grafite latched onto a long ball over the top before skewing his shot wide from 10 yards with only keeper Mamur Ikramov to beat.
And after Lokomotiv’s Shaakhmedov rattled the Al Sadd bar with a sizzling shot from fully 30 yards seven minutes before the interval, the Qataris again should have netted on the stroke of halftime when Hasan Al Haydos side-footed Grafite’s low cross wide when it seemed easier to score.
Any chance the visitors had of leaving Tashkent with a positive result was all but diminished 10 minutes after the restart when Shaakhmedov slipped in Bikmaev, who turned inside the area with his first touch before returning the ball to the midfielder, who tapped the ball home from the penalty spot.
Then with 10 minutes remaining the hosts piled further misery on Al Sadd when a mistake by defender Mohammed Kasola allowed substitute Temurkhuja Abdukholikov to break down the left before squaring to Kojasevic who had an easy finish from 12 yards.
And forward Korian then completed the scoring in stoppage time when he twisted in and out of the Al Sadd defence in the right side of the box before rounding keeper Naim and tapping the ball into an empty net.