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| Hawar Taher (L) of Iran’s Esteghlal fights for the ball with Ibrahim Mohammed Ghaleb of Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr during their AFC Champions League match at Tehran’s Azadi stadium yesterday. (Reuters |
Qatar’s Al Sadd secured a place in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League as the winners of Group B after playing out a 1-1 draw at Pakhtakor here yesterday.
Stanislav Andreev converted a penalty in the 58th minute to put hosts Pakhtakor into the lead at Pakhtakor Stadium. But Madji Siddiq’s stoppage-time goal snatched a 1-1 draw.
The result means Al Sadd toped the group on 10 points, with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr joining them into the last 16 as the group runners-up.
Iran’s Esteghlal bid to leapfrog Al Nassr in Group B failed to materialise as the Saudis, despite losing 2-1, advanced to the knock-out round on superior goal difference.
The top two teams from eight groups qualify for the round of 16, before two-legged quarter and semi-finals followed by a one-match final in November to decide Asian football’s top club honour.
With Pakhtakor already eliminated and Al Sadd already in the next round, the opening 45 minutes threw up very little in the way of goalmouth action.
Dusan Savic saw a shot deflected wide after 26 minutes and six minutes later, Andreev saw an effort from long range bounce up in front of Saad Al Sheeb in the Al Sadd goal but he recovered quickly to smother the loose ball.
Pakhtakor then suffered a setback on the stroke of half-time when keeper Nikita Ribkin was forced off injured following an earlier collision with an Al Sadd player and substitute stopper Tadjibaev took over the gloves.
The second period followed much the same pattern as the first as Al Sadd showed very little ambition to go forward.
And it was Pakhtakor who then took the lead just before the hour mark. Alisher Azizov burst into the box but was brought down by an Al Sadd defender and the referee pointed to the spot.
Andreev expertly steered the penalty into the top corner, sending Al Sheeb the wrong way.
Yusef Ahmed then thought he had grabbed an equaliser for Al Sadd in the 64th minute when he semi-controlled a deep cross from the right before firing home from close range but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Sanat Shikov saw a low drive from the left of the box flash past the far post before Hassan Al Haydos’ powerful shot from distance had Tadjibaev scrambling across his goal and the keeper was relieved to see it flash wide.
It appeared that it was not going to be the visitors’ day, though, as a minute from time, Al Haydos saw a well-struck free-kick cannon back off the post and Tahir Zakariya hooked the rebound over his shoulder from the edge of the box but Tadjibaev did well to palm the ball away.
However, Al Sadd did equalise in stoppage time. Siddiq’s inswinging free-kick from the left curled over everybody’s head but unfortunately for Pakhtakor, Tadjibaev mis-judged the flight of the ball and it clipped the underside of the crossbar on its way into the back of the net.
Earlier on the day, Japan’s Gamba Osaka stunned Tianjin Teda with two late goals to supplant the Group E leaders and reach the last 16 as Melbourne Victory’s charge fell just short.
In a tense night at Expo 70 Stadium, Gamba were in danger of elimination until Yasuhito Endo’s opener on 74th minutes, before Takashi Usami made it 2-0 in the dying seconds.
China’s Tianjin were the only team already qualified from Group E, with Gamba, Victory and Jeju United all in the running for the second spot heading into the final round.
Jeju and bottom-placed Victory fought to a 1-1 draw in South Korea, but the result was immaterial after Gamba’s late double put the J-League side through alongside Tianjin.
In hardman and skipper Kevin Muscat’s last professional game, Victory had five “goals” chalked off for offside—two controversially—and striker Robbie Kruse saw a shot cleared off the line.
But they cancelled out Kim Eun-Jung’s well-crafted opening strike with a sweet volley from midfielder Diogo Ferreira, who buried his shot from 20 yards.
The last-day scramble finally snuffs out Victory’s faint hopes of knock-out football after they lost their first two games but then went on a four-match unbeaten run.
It also confirms the retirement of fiery ex-Premier League defender Muscat, who will be remembered for a series of much-criticised tackles including January’s scything challenge which earned him an eight-match A-League ban.
Meanwhile Group F table-toppers FC Seoul were held to a 1-1 draw by China’s Hangzhou Greentown courtesy of Zeng Yue’s equaliser after two minutes of stoppage time.