The point earned was Bunyodkor’s third in the competition this season and means the Uzbek side end the campaign bottom of Group B, with Lekhwiya finishing in second place behind Zobahan to qualify for the knockout phase.
Bunyodkor, who reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League in 2008 and 2012, have now missed out on a place in the knockout phase for two seasons in a row, the first time that has happened since the club first appeared in the continental championship eight years ago.
Lekhwiya, meanwhile, finish the group stage on nine points having bounced back from a defeat at the hands of Zobahan on Matchday One to seal their place in the next phase of the competition for the third time in four seasons.
Just six minutes into the game, Dioko Kaluyituka found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Murotjon Zukhurov but the DR Congo striker’s shot was blocked at close range.
AFC Young Player of the Year Dostonbek Khamdamov was at the heart of everything positive being done by the Uzbeks, with the 19-year-old shooting just over the bar from inside the area in the 31st minute.
Moments before break, he went closer still after being released behind the Lekwhiya defence by Akramjon Komilov’s neat backheel, only for Khamdamov to steer his attempt millimetres wide of Amine Lacomte’s far post.
Lekhwiya dominated possession throughout the game despite fielding a weakened side that missed the likes of Nam Tae-hee and Youssef Msakni, but chances were few and far between for both sides.
Eldor Shomurodov fired off a weak shot from distance that caused few problems for Lacomte 15 minutes from time while substitute Shakhzodbek Nurmatov sent his effort just past the post.
Neither side could find a way through and, as Bunyodkor exit the tournament, Lekhwiya will hope to put in a stronger performance when they take on El Jaish in a all-Qatari Round of 16 encounter in two weeks’ time.
Results
Lekhwiya SC (Qat) 0 - 0 Bunyodkor (Uzb)
Al Nassr (Sau) 0 – 3 Zobahan (Irn)
Binh Duong (Vie) 1-2 FC Tokyo (Jpn)
Jeonbuk (Kor) 2-2 Jiangsu Suning (Chn)
Buriram (Tha) 0-0 Shandong Luneng (Chn)
Hiroshima (Jpn) 2 – 1 Seoul (Kor)
Lok. Tashkent (Uzb) 0 – 0 Al Nasr (Uae) Sepahan (Irn) 0 – 2 Al Ittihad FC (Sau)
Chinese big-spenders Jiangsu crash out in Asia
Goals from Alex Teixeira and Jo couldn’t save Jiangsu Suning as the Chinese big-spenders crashed out of the AFC Champions League with a 2-2 draw against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors yesterday.
In their final Group E game, Jiangsu’s Asian-record signing Teixeira cancelled out Leonardo’s opener, and ex-Manchester City striker Jo made it 2-1 to the visitors after half-time.
But Lim Jong-Eun equalised coolly for Jeonbuk on 68 minutes and it proved vital for the 2006 Asian champions from South Korea, who grabbed the point they needed to reach the last 16.
It was heartbreak for Dan Petrescu’s Jiangsu, who splurged 50 million euros ($57.5 million) on Teixeira and also splashed out on Jo and Chelsea’s Ramires in their bid for glory.
They join reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande in departing what has been a mixed campaign for Chinese teams, despite a world-leading spending spree on players earlier this year.
However, Shandong Luneng will fly the Chinese flag alongside Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Shanghai SIPG in the last 16 after they rounded off Group F with a 0-0 draw against Buriram United.
FC Tokyo pipped Jiangsu to second spot in Group E and go through with Jeonbuk after Ryoichi Maeda scored twice to hand them a 2-1 win over Vietnam’s Binh Duong.
Elsewhere Adriano struck his 10th goal of the competition as FC Seoul lost 2-1 away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for their only defeat of Group F, but still finished top regardless.
In West Asia, Lokomotiv of Uzbekistan and the Al Nasr of the United Arab Emirates played out a goalless draw that ensured knockout spots for both sides for the first time.
The result confirmed Lokomotiv’s status as Group A winners, while Al Nasr finished second despite Al Ittihad’s 2-0 victory over Sepahan.
