Al Arabi 0-1 Pakhtakor
Temurkhuja Abdukholiqov capitalised on a defensive error to score the only goal of the game as Pakhtakor boosted their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League with a 1-0 away win over pointless Al Arabi on Tuesday.

The Pakhtakor striker struck four minutes before half-time at the Grand Hamad Stadium following some calamitous defending by Ahmed Dad to give the Uzbek side their second consecutive win, which sent them up to second in Group B.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men with 15 minutes left when Oybek Kilichev was shown his second yellow card of the match but the Qatari team created little real danger in the closing minutes as they remained the only side in the competition without a point after four games.

The tournament newcomers sit at the bottom of the group, five points behind third-placed Baniyas while Pakhtakor now have seven and trail leaders Al Ittihad by three.

Al Arabi lost 3-1 at Pakhtakor two weeks ago but they started the return match well and could have taken an early lead as Boualem Khoukhi squandered two great early openings, chipping wide after he had been sent clear in the second minute and then sending a free header wide three minutes later.

The home side were only denied the lead by some desperate defending in the 17th minute. Arafat Djako’s excellent pass sent Leonardo Pisculichi clear on the right flank and while the Argentinian’s attempted chip was stopped by goalkeeper Temur Juraev, the ball fell to Djako, who put his shot back on goal only to see it stopped by Egor Krimets’ heroic block.

The visitors gradually took charge as the half developed with Sharofetdinov almost putting them ahead in the 37th minute with a fierce shot from close range that rattled the crossbar.

Abdukholiqov and Kilichev were also denied by some brilliant goalkeeping by Rajab Hamza before Dad’s poor judgement gifted Pakhtakor the opener.

He completely misread the high bounce of the ball and allowed it to be nicked off him by Kilichev. Hamza alertly came off his goalline in an attempt to snuff out threat but although he got to the ball ahead of the Pakhtakor player, it fell nicely for Abdukholiqov to fire the ball past defender Hadi Aghily.

Pakhtakor gave little away after the break and defended well while offering a constant threat on the counterattack.

Kilichev should have made it 2-0 in the 66th minute with a brilliant curling effort from the left edge of the box that came back off the inside of the right post.

However, the 23-year-old marred his fine display with a needless sending off in the 75th minute when he received his second booking for a wild and late lunge on Pisculichi.

The hosts did little with the extra man though with their best effort for an equaliser falling to Pisculichi, whose low shot in the closing minutes went narrowly wide.

It was yet another frustrating outing for Al Arabi coach Pierre Lechantre, who has yet to see his side manage a victory in the competition.

Meanwhile, Pakhtakor coach Dejan Durdevic was pleased with the way that his side had recovered after their shaky start to the game.

Baniyas 0-0 Al Ittihad
Abu Dhabi: Al Ittihad edged closer to a spot in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League after a dull goalless draw with Baniyas on Tuesday.
The Saudi club had entered the game at the Baniyas Club Stadium with a perfect record and a five-point lead in Group B that left them needing only a win to confirm their passage into the knockout rounds with two games to spare.

But Raul Caneda’s side showed little of the verve that had seen them win all three of their earlier games in the group including a 1-0 victory over their opponents from the United Arab Emirates in Jeddah two weeks ago.

Indeed the best opportunity of the game fell to the home side in the 78th minute when Francisco Yeste’s free-kick from the left found Fawaz Awana, who headed wastefully over the crossbar.

Pakthakor’s 1-0 win over Al Arabi in the night’s other Group B game meant that Al Ittihad will have to wait until the next round of games before they can book their place in the round of 16 although they should do so unless they suffer a heavy away defeat at Pakhtakor on May 2.

Nevertheless, Al Ittihad coach Raul Caneda was unhappy to see his side’s 100% record come to an end.

Baniyas may have slipped to third with the draw but their coach, Gabriel Calderon, remained optimistic about their chances of reaching the last 16.

Pakhtakor 3-1 Al Arabi
Pakhtakor got their AFC Champions League campaign back on track as a pair of late goals lifted the Uzbek side to a 3-1 victory over Al Arabi of Qatar on Wednesday.

Sherzod Karimov’s fortuitous early goal at the Jar Stadium was cancelled out when Leonardo Pisculichi capitalised on a defensive error to level the score late in the first half.

But Dilshod Sharofetdinov netted his second goal in as many games to put the hosts back ahead in the 74th minute before Temurkhuja Abdukholiqov sealed victory with his side’s third in stoppage time.

With the win, Pakhtakor moved up to four points and back into contention for a spot in the last 16 of the competition. But for Al Arabi, it was a third straight defeat and it left them as the only side still yet to manage a point in this year’s competition.

Pakhtakor got off to a great start and took the lead after only nine minutes. Karimov attempted to cross the ball from the right flank towards Abdukholiqov but the ball was missed by the striker and an Al Arabi defender and floated instead into the far corner of the net.

The Qatari side rarely threatened in the opening half but they got back on level terms in the 37th minute after an error by defender Aleksey Nikolaev on the edge of his box.

The ball was played to him by goalkeeper Alexander Lobanov and he tried to beat Boualem Khoukhi but only succeeded in coughing up possession to the Al Arabi player who squared the ball for Pisculichi to fire home the equaliser.

The hosts continued to control play after the equaliser but they were continually frustrated by the Al Arabi defence and the woodwork, which kept out Stanislav Andreev’s free-kick.

But their pressure would finally be rewarded with 16 minutes left as Andreev’s long throw was headed onto the Al Arabi crossbar by Hadi Aghily and fell nicely for substitute Sharofetdinov to sweep the ball home.

Abdukholiqov sealed the victory in stoppage time when the ball was flicked on to him by Kakhi Makharadze in the centre circle and he ran clear of two defenders before lashing a low shot past goalkeeper Rajab Hamza.

Al Arabi coach Pierre Lechantre felt that fatigue in the closing minutes was the undoing of his side.

Meanwhile, Pakhtakor coach Dejan Durdevic was delighted with his side’s first win in this year’s tournament.

Al Ittihad 1-0 Baniyas

Naif Hazazi fired home a penalty 10 minutes from time as Al Ittihad maintained their 100 per cent record at the top of Group B with a narrow victory over Baniyas on Wednesday.

The striker had earlier missed a couple of golden chances to put his side ahead but he kept his composure to convert the spot kick which took the Saudi club five points clear at the top of the group and within touching distance of a spot in the last 16.

A victory over Baniyas in the return match in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight’s time would see the two-time AFC Champions League winners advance to the knockout rounds for the sixth time in nine years.

Al Ittihad were quickly out of the blocks at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium and could have opened the scoring in the opening 20 seconds.

A long ball from the Al Ittihad half picked out Hazazi on the edge of the Baniyas box and although he was quickly blocked off by defenders, he was able to lay the ball off for Faouzi Abdelghni, whose low shot produced a fine fingertip save by Mohamed Khalaf.

Hazazi squandered a golden opportunity in the 16th minute after a slip by a Baniyas defender near the halfway line allowed him to run clear with only Khalaf to beat. He had plenty of time to pick out his spot but steered his attempt wide of the target.

United Arab Emirates clubs have yet to manage an AFC Champions League victory in Saudi Arabia but Baniyas gave a good account of themselves and created some opportunities of their own.

On the half-hour mark, a great burst from midfield by Ahmed Ali took him past three defenders and his cross picked out Andre Senghor whose header forced goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid into a diving save.

Three minutes before half-time, a great through ball by Thamer Mohammed sent Senghor clear but the Senegalese striker fired wide with only Zaid to beat.

Al Ittihad came out with renewed purpose after the break and Hazazi had another great chance two minutes into the second half when he outmuscled defender Mohammed Jaber to get to a cross and brought the ball down before he smacked his effort against the crossbar.

Khalaf produced an unorthodox save with his legs to keep out a header by Redha Tukar and then stopped Abdelghni again with another diving save.

The game appeared to be headed for a goalless draw until Abdelghni was tripped up by Ismael Bouzid 10 minutes from time and Hazazi coolly sent Khalaf the wrong way from the spot to give his side the win.

It was Al Ittihad’s sixth win in seven games since their appointment of Raul Caneda as coach and the Spaniard later paid tribute to the club’s fans, who provided loud and passionate support for his players throughout the game.

The result marked an unhappy return to Jeddah for Baniyas coach Gabriel Calderon, who led Al Ittihad to the AFC Champions League final in 2009.

Pakhtakor 1-1 Baniyas
First timers, Baniyas maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament as they fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Pakhtakor in Group B of the 2012 Asian Champions League.

Dilshod Sharofetdinov scored the opening goal in the first half but Mohamed Fawzi fired in the equaliser for Baniyas on the hour mark to give the United Arab Emirates side a share of the points on a very cold night in Iran.

Whilst the snow had been cleared, the pitch conditions where still quite poor and played a telling factor in the game. Both teams struggled to create chances in a game that was littered with fouls.

Pakhtakor were the better side in the opening half and could have taken the lead as early as the ninth minute when Sanibal Orahovac cut inside a defender on the right of the Baniyas box and fired in a stinging shot that Mohammed Khalaf did well to stop at his near post.

Pakhtakor did however go ahead after 29 minutes when Orahovac swung in a corner that was headed in by Sharofetdinov.

After the break Pakhtakor, settled into a defending strategy and it back fired and the momentum swung to Baniyas who where able to capitalise in the 60th minute.

The Pakhtakor defence failed to deal with a free-kick taken by Haboosh Salbookh and the ball eventually fell to an unmarked Mohamed Fawzi, who smashed the ball past goalkeeper Temur Juraev from close range.

Baniyas nearly took the lead seven minutes later when a long ball was guided ahead of Juraev, who had come off his line but the Baniyas player stabbed his attempt wide.

Pakhtakor reasserted their control in the closing minutes but substitute striker Temurkhuja Abdukholoqov had a good opportunity kept out by goalkeeper Mohamed Khalaf and then saw his shot four minutes from time ruled out for offside.

With just one point from two games, Djurdjevic knows that the onus is on his side to win their remaining games to force their way back into contention.

Al Arabi 1-3 Al Ittihad
Naif Hazazi scored twice for Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia who moved two points clear at the top of Group B after a comfortable 3-1 victory over Qatar’s Al Arabi.

Qatar Al Arabi, showed little bite in attack and dropped to the bottom of the group after their second straight defeat.

Al Arabi had most of the possession in the opening minutes of the first half, although it was the visitors who went ahead in the 21st minute. A deep cross from the left flank by Mishal Al Saeed was nicely controlled by Mohammad Al Rashed. Within a few movements, the ball was teed up for Hazazi to finish with a low right-footed shot .

Al Arabi responded five minutes later after a horrendous mistake by Al Montashari. The former AFC Player of the Year attempted to cut off Majdi Siddiq’s lofted pass but completely missed the ball, which allowed Pisculichi to run clear and fire past Mabrouk Zaid with the outside of his left boot.

Al Montashari made a mends by score quickly scoring the equaliser on the half-hour mark. A corner by Al Rashed was flicked on at the near post towards the Al Ittihad centre back who turned the ball in with a superb diving header.

Al Arabi was out of petrol for the remainder of the game and fell behind the first second time soon after.

Hazazi sealed the win eight minutes from time when he met Al Rashed’s cross from the right with a clinical header that gave goalkeeper Rajab Hamza little chance.

Al Ittihad have now won four consecutive games under coach Raul Caneda, who took charge earlier this month after a bad run of results for the Jeddah side in their domestic league.

Al Rayyan V Esteghlal (0 – 1)

Substitute Goran Jerkovic scored in stoppage time as Iranian giants Esteghlal followed up their back-to-back play-offs wins with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Qatar’s Al Rayyan at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

With 80 minutes already played and no goals scored, the match appeared to be headed for a goalless draw. However a wonder substitution, bringing French striker Jerkovic on for Milad Midavoodi changed the game and the scoreline almost instantly. The game ended 0 – 1, giving Esteghlal a great away win only their 3rd in their history within the competition.

Prior to Jerkovic’s late heroics, the match had been a largely scrappy affair with few real scoring opportunities.

Esteghlal was lucky not to be playing with 10 men for almost 60 minutes of the game when defender Ali Hamoudi made a very late and ugly challenge on Younes Ali.

Late in the first half, Esteghlal had a claim for a penalty when Esmaeil Sharifat went down in the box after he tried to get around the challenge of Abdulla Afifa, but all that the Esteghlal player got for his troubles was a yellow card for diving.

Al Rayyan should have taken the lead just before the hour as a swift counter-attack caught the Esteghlal defence cold and as they scrambled to get back in numbers, Rodrigo Tabata’s pass found Leandro all alone inside the box but the Brazilian striker could only fire his shot over the crossbar.

The match was heading towards the final whistle when the visitors struck after a quickly taken free-kick by Hanif Omranzadeh caught out the Al Rayyan defence and Jerkovic turned home from close range after a shot from the edge of the area deflected off an Al Rayyan defender and fell invitingly into the Frenchman’s path.

Nasaf V Al Jazira (2 – 4)

The match had been postponed for 24 hours dew to heavy snow.  But when the action finally did get underway in sunny conditions in Karshi, the home team were quickly out of the blocks and took the lead after only two minutes.

A free-kick taken by Artur Gevorkyan caused confusion in the Al Jazira defence when goalkeeper Ali Khasif failed to punch the ball clear. In the scramble that followed, Ilkhom Shomuradov was denied by a desperate tackle but the ball fell to Musaev who shot home from close range.

Nasaf stayed positive after heavy attacks from Al Jazira and got a deserved second in the 18th minute. Sami Rubiya attempted to cut out Gevorkyan’s cross from the right side but he only succeeded in deflecting the ball into his own net.

Khasif kept the deficit at two with a magnificent double save in the 36th minute. The Al Jazira goalkeeper did well to parry a powerful shot by Andrejs Pereplotkins and then recovered quickly to turn Turaev’s follow-up over the crossbar.

Two minutes later however the game began to change. The Nasaf defence switched off on an Al Jazira free-kick and allowed an unmarked Juma Abdullah to head easily past Zukhorov.

Nasaf squandered several chances to restore their two-goal cushion and they would rue their wastefulness as Al Jazira got back on level terms midway through the second half. The visitors charged upfield after a Nasaf attack had broken down and the ball eventually found its way to Abdulla Moussa, who fired home from the left edge of the Nasaf box.

With 15 minutes to go, the UAE side went ahead for the first time after once again catching out the Nasaf defence on the counter attack. As the hosts scramble to clear their lines, the ball broke to substitute Bare, who calmly slid the ball past Zukhorov.

And Oliveira would complete the scoring with two minutes left as he slotted home easily after the ball had been laid off to him by the unselfish Bare

Baniyas v Al Arabi (2 – 0)
A first-half penalty from captain Yousef Jaber and a composed second half finish from Spanish midfielder Francisco Yeste secured AFC Champions League debutants Baniyas a memorable 2-0 win over Qatar’s Al Arabi in Group B on Tuesday.

Both sides enjoyed an even share of possession in the first half. Senegalese striker Andre Senghor, who was the top scorer in the UAE Pro League last season with 18 goals, saw his close range effort cleared off the line on the half-hour mark.

That chance brought the game to life as Al Arabi’s Boualem Khoukhi saw his well-struck rising free-kick pushed onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Mohamed Khalaf before Fareed Al Hammadi hit the foot of the post for Baniyas five minutes later.

But in the last minute of the first half, Al Hammadi was bundled over inside the area by Abdulaziz Al Sulaiti and Jaber confidently converted the resulting penalty after sending goalkeeper Rajab Hamza the wrong way.

Al Arabi made a bright start to the second half but visiting goalkeeper Hamza was twice called into action to deny Haboosh Saleh Salbookh and Oman striker Fawzi Bashir before Yeste fired narrowly over.

Khalaf was quickly off his line to block at the feet of Togolese striker Arafat Djako with just over 20 minutes remaining before Senghor headed against the Al Arabi crossbar five minutes later.

But the home side doubled their advantage two minutes later as Senghor laid the ball off to the onrushing Yeste inside the area, and after the Spanish midfielder had skipped past an Al Arabi defender, he gave Hamza no chance with a composed finish.

Al Ittihad v Pakhtakor (4 – 0)
Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia put made a great start to their 2012 AFC Champions League campaign winning convincingly against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor 4-0 in their opening match in Group B.

Mohammed Abusabaan scored twice with Abdelghni and Omar also on target for the two-time Asian Champions League winners.

The Saudi side had been ordered to play the match without spectators following unruly behaviour by their fans during their AFC Champions League quarter-final clash against FC Seoul last September.

The home side hit the lead only three minutes into the game. Moroccan forward Faouzi Abdelghni won a foot race with Aleksey Nikolaev to a long ball on the right of the Pakhtakor box and he rounded advancing goalkeeper Temur Juraev before firing the ball into the far corner of the net.

Several minutes later, forward Naif Hazazi rounded keeper Juraev but saw his shot from a tight angle cleared off the line by Murod Khalmukhamedov before heading past Juraev only to see his effort rebound off the crossbar.

On the half hour mark, Al Ittihad surged forward down the left, and with Abusabaan holding his run in centre of the field, Hazazi played a sweet ball for the onrushing midfielder to stretch and guide the ball past the onrushing Juraev.

Pakhtakor’s went down to 10 men nine minutes before half-time as Kletskov was sent-off after picking up a second yellow card in quick succession.

Abusabaan notched his second of the game and Al Ittihad’s third in the 50th minute. A Mohammed Noor shot was stopped by a defender but the Moroccan was on hand to guide home the loose ball.

And the Saudi side added another seven minutes later when substitute Abdulla Omar raced unchallenged from the halfway line before hammering an unstoppable effort past Juraev to complete the rout.

Esteghlal ended their 2011 AFC Champions league campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al Nassr at the Azadi Stadium, but it was not sufficient to seal a place in the last 16 as they lost out to their Saudi opponents on goal difference.

Badar Al Motawa opened the scoring on the hour mark before Farhad Majidi in the 62nd and Hawar Mulla Mohammed in the 89th minutes turned the match around for Esteghlal.

In a first half low on excitement, the visitors created the first chance in the 16th minute from a counter-attack, as Al Motawa fired towards the goal but a quick reaction from keeper Mohammad Mohammadi repelled the striker’s left-footed shot.

Esteghlal came close to taking the lead four minutes later. Majidi met a beautiful curling cross from the left, but a fantastic save by Abdullah Al Enezi kept the Esteghlal forward’s header out.

In the 31st minute Mohammad Ibrahim latched onto the loose ball when two Esteghlal defenders failed to clear a corner, but his shot was blocked.

Defender Amir Hossein Sadeghi’s scissor kick flew past the left post in the 43rd minute before Mojtaba Jabbari’s free-kick rose over the crossbar one minute before the break.

Esteghlal started the second period stronger and could have taken the lead in the 48th minute. Majidi curled in a cross for Hawar, but the Iraq international’s effort, though acrobatic, was unsuccessful.

Two minutes later Hawar’s header was gathered by the keeper before Arash Borhani threatened by firing from outside box but his shot was comfortably collected by Al Enezi.

Abdullah Al Qahtani could have given Al Nassr the lead 13 minutes after the break but first-half substitute fired over the crossbar from inside the area after a speedy counter attack.

It was Al Nassr who opened the scoring two minutes later against the run of play. Al Motawa volleyed beautifully into the corner of the net leaving the Esteghlal keeper with no chance.

The hosts found the equaliser in the 62nd minute as Majidi headed home from Hawar’s right-sided cross.

Mehdi Seyed Salehi could not head in from a corner shortly afterwards and then in the 77th minute he missed another chance when he messed up a scissors kick.

Majidi wasted a golden opportunity in the 82nd minute when he fired into the hands of the goalkeeper when through.

Less than a minute later Majidi fired wide but Esteghlal’s efforts were rewarded just before the final whistle when Hawar cushioned a cross with his chest and netted with a brilliant left-footed strike from inside the box.

Bader Al Motawaa scored twice as Al Nassr thrashed Pakhtakor 4-0 at King Fahd International Stadium and put themselves in pole position to join Al Sadd in the last 16 of the 2011 AFC Champions League from Group B.

The home side took the lead with just seven minutes on the clock when Hamoud met Khaled Asiri’s cross from the left with a superb diving header from six yards out that left keeper Nikita Ribkin no chance.

Stanislav Andreev saw a free-kick dip just over the bar for Pakhtakor before Al Motawaa doubled Al Nassr’s lead. Al Sahlawi outpaced two Pakhtakor defenders to latch onto a long ball over the top before squaring for Al Motawaa to slot home inside the box. Ribkin got a hand to the Kuwait striker’s effort but could not keep it out.

Al Sahlawi then saw a poked effort well blocked by Ribkin after a long ball into the visitors’ box caused panic and Al Motawaa played in Hamoud but the Pakhtakor keeper was equal to his strike.

The Al Nassr forward was not to be denied, though, and he extended his side’s lead on the hour mark following a slick move.

Hamoud played in Asiri down the left and he clipped a cross towards Al Sahlawi who headed home unmarked from the edge of the box.

The game petered out as a contest after that, although Igor Kremets headed Dilshod Sharofetdinov’s free-kick over the bar from close range and Al Nassr keeper Abdullah Al Enezi did excellently to foil Dusan Savic with an outstretched leg.

Al Sadd staged a thrilling comeback on Wednesday as they rallied from 2-0 deficit to hold Esteghlal in a key 2011 AFC Champions League clash.

Al Sadd, leaders of Group B before the start of the match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, dominated most of the opening half but were behind at the break after visiting skipper Farhad Majidi struck twice.

However, Al Sadd turned it around in the second period with Khalfan Ibrahim and substitute Hasan Haydos both on target.

The draw was enough to keep Al Sadd at the top of the table while Esteghlal are four points behind them with a game to play.

Esteghlal started well and forced a corner in the fourth minute of the match.

Al Sadd’s defence thwarted the danger momentarily but a throw in soon afterwards saw the visitors score the first goal.

A casual throw in made its way into the Al Sadd box where captain Majidi – who was unmarked – headed home helped by a big deflection as the ball looped over goalkeeper Mohammed Saqr.

In the 15th minute, Al Sadd striker Abdul Kader Keita dribbled past two defenders but his shot from close range was smartly held by goalkeeper Mohammad Mohammadi.

Four minutes later, a similar move was blocked by Mohammadi when the Al Sadd striker was set to strike close to the penalty spot.

Four minutes later, powerfully-built Keita bustled his way through the Esteghlal defence but his shot went past the post with goalkeeper Mohammadi well beaten.

Three minutes later, Al Sadd’s Ibrahim launched a solo effort but his fierce shot was blocked by goalkeeper Mohammadi.

In the 26th minute, defender Nadir Belhadj adopted a long-range policy by firing a missile around 30 yards from goal. Belhadj’s shot beat the goalkeeper but also the far post.

After dominating play for the opening 20 minutes, poor defending cost Al Sadd another goal as captain Majdi found the net for the second time in the match.

After collecting the ball inside Al Sadd box, Majidi hoodwinked Al Sadd captain Abdulla Koni and Leandaro before slipping the ball past goalkeeper Saqr who made an awkward dive in his attempt to save.

Nine minutes into the second-half, the home side pulled one goal back.

Former Gamba Osaka striker Leandro chipped in a pass from close to the corner flag and, sensing his chance, the diminutive Ibrahim barged his way into the box, stopped the ball with his left foot and then quickly fired home.

After pounding the Esteghlal defence with a series of attacks, Al Sadd scored their second through substitute Haydos with 15 minutes left.

Ibrahim played a pass across the visitors’ box for Haydos who, after dribbling past one defender, produced a fine left-footed strike that dipped into the net.

Egor Krimets’ header two minutes from time breathed new life into Pakhtakor’s 2011 AFC Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Esteghlal at Pakhtakor Stadium.

Arash Borhani had cancelled out Stanislav Andreev’s superb 28th minute opener in first-half stoppage-time but with the Group B game seemingly heading for a draw following a low-key second-half, Hanif Omranzadeh was sent-off for two bookable offences and from the resulting free-kick, Krimets struck to haul Pakhtakor level with the Iranians on four points.

It was a game that Pakhtakor needed to win and they were first to threaten after two minutes when Esteghlal keeper Mohammad Mohammadi had to tip Sherzodbek Karimov’s dipping cross behind.

Pakhtakor’s young keeper was involved in all of the early action and in the 20th minute palmed the ball over the bar after Omranzadeh’s long throw had flicked off a Pakhtakor defender before repeating the trick to deny a header from the following corner.

Pakhtakor then took the lead in the 28th minute in stunning fashion. A cross picked out Andreev unmarked on the edge of the box and although his first-time volley hit Pejman Montazeri, the striker displayed exquisite technique to hook the rebound – again on the volley – over his shoulder and in off the far post with Mohammadi reduced to a mere spectator.

Esteghlal drew level in first-half stoppage time when Hawar Mohammed’s beautiful flick released Javad Shirzadeh down the left and his cross towards the near post was cleverly guided past Ribkin from close range by Borhani.

The second-half had few chances but Ribkin almost gifted Esteghlal a second in the 53rd minute when he needlessly came charging off his line. Borhani easily eluded the Pakhtakor keeper and only a brilliant block by Akbarjon Ismatullaev saved a certain goal.

As the second half drew to a close Omranzadeh was sent-off with two minutes to go and the Esteghlal defence failed to pick up Krimets at the set-piece, allowing the defender to nod home unmarked from inside the six-yard box.

Al Sadd 1-0 Al Nassr
Lee Jung-soo’s second-half header sent Al Sadd to the top of Group B in the 2011 AFC Champions League after they edged out Al Nassr 1-0 at Al Sadd Stadium.

Lee deftly headed Nadir Belhadj’s corner into the back of the net after 60 minutes for his second goal of the tournament as the Qataris moved on to seven points with the victory, three ahead of their Saudi opponents.

Al Nassr threatened first and in the fourth minute, striker Mohammed Al Sahlwai slipped in a pass to team-mate Saad Al Harthi and he burst past a defender and into the box only for Al Sadd keeper Mohamed Saqr to rush out and clear the danger.

Al Nassr midfielder Victor Figueroa’s effort was then dealt with by Saqr and Al Harthi was off target from long range.

Belhadj’s powerful strike from the edge of the Al Nassr box called goalkeeper Abdullah Al Enezi into action after 16 minutes before Mohammed Kasola sent a header narrowly wide 10 minutes later.

With less than 10 minutes to go in the first period, Al Sadd’s Abdulkader Keita elbowed Al Nassr captain Ibrahim Omar and earned a yellow card from the referee before Al Nassr’s Ahmed Aldosari was also booked for a poor tackle on Yusef Ahmed two minutes later.

The game became even more fractious after the break and Al Nassr’s Mohammed Eid was sent off after bringing down Al Sadd striker Ahmed near the edge of the box with a tough challenge.

In the 56th minute, tempers frayed again as Al Sadd’s Wisam Rizq was booked for a bad tackle on Al Nassr’s Bader Al Motawaa near the halfway-line.

Al Sadd finally took the lead on the hour mark. The tireless Belhadj curled in a superb corner kick that defender Lee glanced into the back of the net in similar fashion to the goal the Korean international scored against Paktakhor two weeks ago.

Kasola then saw a long-range shot that swerved in the air parried away by Al Nassr goalkeeper Al Enezi as Al Sadd held on to take the three points and the upper hand in Group B although their success was sullied somewhat when Belhadj was dismissed after the Algerian winger picked up his second yellow card in stoppage-time having previously been cautioned in the 76th minute.

Esteghlal 4-2 Pakhtakor

Esteghlal recovered from the setback of conceding an early goal to collect their first win of the 2011 AFC Champions League with a 4-2 triumph over Pakhtakor at the Azadi Stadium and move level on points with Al Nassr in second place in Group B.

Dusan Savic had given Pakhtakor the lead after just three minutes but the home side fought back and soon levelled through Hawar Mohammed’s deflected free-kick before Farhad Majidi’s second goal of the tournament gave Esteghlal a half-time lead.

Substitute Mehdi Seyed Salehi’s header early in the second period extended the lead and Esteghlal appeared to be cruising to three points before another replacement, Sanat Shikov, set-up a nervy finish with a late goal for Pakhtakor.

However, Arash Borhani finished off a powerful run with a clinical finish in stoppage time to make the points safe.

Both sides began the encounter locked together at the bottom of the table with just one point from their opening two games but it was Pakhtakor who made a dream start when Savic collected Stanislav Andreev’s pass on the left flank, cut inside and fired a shot from 25 yards that took a healthy deflection off an Esteghlal defender and beat keeper Mohammad Mohammadi.

Opposite number Temur Juraev held Kianoush Rahmati’s shot before Esteghlal levelled in the 11th minute when Mohammed’s free-kick – awarded after Juraev had picked up a backpass – flicked off Khaki Makharadze’s head in the wall and over the Pakhtakor keeper.

They took the lead 11 minutes later thanks to an error from Juraev. Iman Mobali’s long ball from the right bounced beyond Igor Krimets and the defender and goalkeeper hesitated before the latter rushed out but missed the ball, giving Majidi the simple task of rolling it into the empty net.

Vladimir Kozak managed to find space in the Esteghlal box just before the half-hour mark but Mohammadi did well to block his effort before Majidi picked out Mohammed but his chip drifted just over the bar.

Esteghlal went further in front after 57 minutes when Salehi powered a header from Javad Shirzadeh’s pinpoint cross past Juraev from six yards.

Mohammed then lashed a volley wide when unmarked in the box and Mohammadi had be alert to get down low at his near post to push Kozak’s low shot around the post.

With time running out, Esteghlal wasted two good chances to wrap up the points. First, the Pakhtakor defence opened up to allow Borhani a good sight of goal but he shot wide before the striker’s cut back picked out Salehi in space but he side-footed badly over from eight yards.

Pakhtakor reduced the arrears in the 90th minute when Shikov beautifully took down a long ball over the top before drilling a left-foot finish across Mohammadi and into the bottom corner.

It could have set up a nervous finish with four minutes of stoppage time still to play but Borhani put the result beyond doubt when he took advantage of a slip by a Pakhtakor defender to drive into the box before lifting a finish over Juraev.

Al Nassr 2-1 Esteghlal
Al Nassr scored two goals in the 2nd half to claim victory against Esteghlal 2-1.

A first-half that saw Mehdi Seyed Salehi head Javad Shirzadeh’s cross against the far post for Esteghlal and John McKain and Victor Figueroa go close for Al Nassr came to a finish with the visitors one goal to the good.

Omranzadeh took advantage of Omar Howsawi’s slack marking at a corner to lose the defender and rise above keeper Abdullah Al Enezi to head home the opening goal from Hawar Taher’s 21st minute delivery.

Some slick one-touch football eight minutes into the second-half between Ibrahim Ghaleb, Khaled Asiri, Bader Al Motwa’a and Saud Hamod saw the latter nick a cute lofted ball over the Esteghlal defence past the onrushing keeper Vahid Talebloo but he was unable to direct it goalwards.

Six minutes later, however, the hosts were level when Sulamani strode forward with the ball and skipped a sliding challenge from Mehdei Amirabadi before unleashing a dipping shot from 25-yards that left Talebloo with no chance.

Abdulrahman Al Qahtani fired a low strike from the edge of the box that just whistled past the post in what turned out to be a fairly uneventful second period until Al Nassr conjured up the winning goal with 10 minutes to go.

The ever-willing Al Motwa’a was brought down on the edge of the box and from the resultant free-kick, Al Haarthi took a couple of steps before lifting the ball up and over the wall and beyond Talebloo’s despairing dive.

Al Enezi then had to push Ibrahim Najed’s free-kick from the right corner of the box over the bar before Omranzadeh’s stoppage-time header went straight into the Al Nassr keeper’s hands as the defender spurned a good chance to snatch a late point for the Iranians.

The result sees Al Nassr now top Group B with four points ahead of Pakhtakor and Al Sadd, who play on Wednesday in Doha.

Al Sadd 2-1 Pakhtakor
Substitute Ali Arif’s second-half header saw Al Sadd edge out Pakhtakor 2-1 in Group B of the 2011 AFC Champions League at Al Sadd Stadium.

Wednesday’s key clash, played in chilly conditions enveloping the Qatari capital, witnessed slick moves from both sides in the opening exchanges but none of them threatened either goalkeeper.

In the 20th minute, Al Sadd striker Keita fed Leandro (Leandro Montera Da Silva) but he failed to find the back of the net from close range.

Playing on home soil for the first time in the 2011 AFC Champions League, defenders Nadir Belhadj and Mesaad Ali combined well to keep Pakhatkor striker Abdulkholiqov from penetrating the Al Sadd backline.

Under pressure from three defenders, Keita chipped the ball from the edge of the box that floated over the head of Paktakor goalkeeper Temur Jurev but also the bar.

Seven minutes later, in-form Keita found unmarked Hassan Al Haydos inside the Pakhatkor box and the diminutive striker fired a volley that was blocked by goalkeeper Juraev.

With eight minutes to go before half time, Paktakor defender Kozak Vladimir unleashed an effort from distance that flew inches above the Al Sadd crossbar.

Al Sadd thought they had broken the deadlock when Keita slipped a pass to team-mate Leandro, and he calmly beat goalkeeper Juraev but the linesman quickly waved the flag for offside, much to the dismay of the local fans.

Just before half time, a Belhadj’s cross was met by Korea Republic international Lee and he volleyed home from near the penalty spot to put the hosts in front.

The Uzbeks threatened nine minutes after the restart when Karimov Sherzodbek curled one from about 30 yards but his shot was turned away by Al Sadd goalkeeper Mohammed Saqr.

However, Pakhtakor conjured an equaliser in the 56th minute when Sherzodbek crossed towards Abdulkholiqov and he produced a diving header that beat Saqr.

But an Al Sadd double substitution was to prove decisive and Afif headed home from close range to restore Al Sadd’s advantage before Pakhtakor’s misery was further compounded with Tadjiev’s sending off.

Al Nassr (2-2) Pakhtakor
Al Nassr twice came from behind to earn their first point of the AFC Champions League with a 2-2 draw with Pakhtakor.

Sherzod Karimov opened the scoring for the hosts seconds before the break but Bader Al Motawaa equalised five minutes into the second half.

Dilshod Sharofetdinov put Pakhtakor ahead once again on the hour but Bojan Miladinovic ensured Al Nassr would leave Uzbekistan with their first point in Group B when he put the ball into his own net when attempting to cut out Mohammad Al Sahlawi’s cross.

Al Nassr were barely getting a look in and it was no surprise that the next chance went the way of Pakhtakor midway through the half when Miladinovic managed to turn inside a crowded area and let fly with a shot that Al Anzi did well to punch away for a corner.

Pakhtakor deservedly took the lead on the stroke of half time when Karimov was picked out down the right and the midfielder cut inside a defender before curling an effort from just outside the area over a stranded Al Anzi, who had left his line in anticipation of collecting a cross.

Amazingly, though, Al Nassr were level barely five minutes into the second half with their first shot of the half.

Victor Figueroa was left alone on the right and the Argentinean midfielder made his way into the area before getting the better of a defender and then showing great awareness to pass to the feet of Al Motawaa, who made no mistake from close range.

Al Nassr restored their advantage on the hour when Karimov delivered a deep free-kick into the area that Kakhi Makharadze cleverly headed back across the face of goal for Sharofetdinov to nod in.

Al Nassr introduced Al Sahlawi who came close when he raced onto Abbas’ smart chest down on the edge of the area before sidefooting a shot under the dive of the keeper, only to see the ball agonisingly bounce back off the base of the upright.

But Al Sahlawi was to play a major part as the visitors salvaged a point with a minute remaining as the Saudi Arabia international’s low cross was diverted into his own net by Miladinovic with Saad Al Harthi in close attention.

Esteghlal (1 – 1) Al Sadd
A late goal from Abdul Kaider Keta ensured a 1 – 1 draw between Esteghlal and Al Sadd at Azadi Sports Complex on Tuesday.

Esteghlal were the better side in the opening exchanges and their first chance arrived in the sixth minute when the lively Iman Mobali drove a curling free-kick into the penalty area and all it needed was the slightest of touches but keeper Saad Al Sheed showed great reactions to deny Hanif Omranzadeh.

The hosts took the lead early in the first half when Mobali crossed into the area and after Al Sadd failed to clear the danger the ball eventually fell to skipper Majidi, who delivered a well-struck effort into the corner of the net.

Esteghlal thought they had a second three minutes before the break when Mehdei Amirabadi fired a long-range strike that forced Al Sheeb into a save. Majidi pounced on the loose ball and lashed home but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Al Sadd came out strong in the second half with Keita sending a free-kick over the bar while Leonadro went even closer when he directed a dangerous header goalwards but Taleboo did well to clear the danger.

Goalscoring chances dried up after that but when one of note did arrive it produced the equaliser when Leonardo found himself inside the area and his ball deflected off Pejman Montazeri straight to Keita, who nodded home from close range to earn a point for the visitors.

Today we move on to Group B of the AFC Asian Champions League 2011.

Group B is made up of the following teams:

• AL NASSR (KSA)
• ESTEGHLAL (IRN)
• PAKHTAKOR (UZB)
• WINNER OF PLAY-OFF (WEST)

Al Nassr
Currently sitting in 4th position domestically (mid way through the 2010/11 season), Al Nassr will make it’s first appearance at the AFC Champions League. Certainly not a favourite to make it’s way through Group B when you consider that they are competing with the likes of Esteghlal and Pakhtakor, two established teams in the competition.

Esteghlal
Esteghlal comfortably cleared Group A in the 2010 AFC season but lost 3:2 to AL SHABAB (KSA). This year they are hoping for atleast the same in terms of clearing the Group stage. Domestically they are sitting 2nd after 23 rounds only 2 points away from first position. Esteghlal should comfortably make it into the round of 16. The challenge will be can they go one further.

Pakhtakor
Seems Pakhtakor is still in holiday mode come the start of the AFC champions league with their league finishing at the end of October 2010. In 2010, Pakhtakor made it to the round of 16 only to be knocked out by Al Gharafa 1 – 0. Fighting over Group C last year, the only just made it past Iran’s Sepahan to advance. This year looks like they will have an easier time of it.

Denilson made all the difference for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Bunyodkor, ensuring his side made it into the knockout stages.

The Uzbek champions need to win and hope that Zob Ahan also won in order to progress. It turned out that way and now they will meet Saudi champs Al-Hilal. Zob Ahan’s win sees them qualify as group winners to set-up an all Iranian clash with Mes Kerman.

Bunyodkor 4-1 Al-Wehda

Rivaldo opened the scoring 28 minutes in, as Wehda left him un-marked inside the box to head home Djeparov’s cross. Denilson doubled their lead three minutes later when Wehda keeper, Mohammed Al Hosani completely missed his kick, leaving Denilson to simply pass the ball into an empty net. At the 60 minute mark, Denilson made it three when he smashed home Jasur Hasanov’s pull-back before Another Hasanov unleashed a 35-yard rocket to make it four. Talal Abdulla scored a consolation for Al Wehda through a penalty in stoppage time.

Zob Ahan 1–0 Al-Ittihad

Zob Ahan coach Mansor Ebrahimzadeh revealed that his side was up for today’s game “it’s a big deal for us to be the hosts in the next game,”.

Zob have won all of their home games so far and a 57th minute strike from Iran’s Mohammad Reza Khalatbari won the game and secured top spot.

Group E

Kawasaki Frontale 3-0 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

Kawasaki Frontale have given themselves a great chance of advancing by beating Seongnam 3 – 0 at home. They now travel to Beijing Gouan on the final matchday only one point behind the Chinese Super League team, with the winner progressing alongside Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.

Frontale were two goals ahead by the 20 minute mark. Hiroyuki Taniguchi opened the scoring after five minutes and Yusuke Tasaka doubled the lead 15 minutes after. It remained 2 – 0 until the 79th minute when Renatinho scored the third.

Melbourne Victory 0-0 Beijing Gouan

Melbourne earned their first draw and fourth point of the group stage. The 1 point however, wasn’t enough to keep them in contention. Beijing missed the chance to go three points clear of Kawasaki and instead face the Japanese in a winner takes all shootout on matchday 6.

Group F

Changchun Yatai 0-1 Kashima Antlers

Kashima scored in the first half through Shinzo Koroki to see off Changchun Yatai on matchday five in the AFC Champions League. Shinzo pounced upon a Samuel Caballero error in the 37th minute to put it past the goalkeeper.

Kashima have an unbeaten record so far in the competition and will be a great match-up in the round of 16 where they will either face Pohang Steelers or Adelaide United.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 8-0 Persipura Jayapura

Persipura Jayaspura received another hiding in Match Day 5. The Indonesian minnows were hammered 8-0 by K-League outfit, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Eninho, Park Won Jae and a Lee Dong Gook penalty put the hosts well in the clear by half time. Eninho and Jung Jin Seo added the fourth and fifth goals just after half-time before 3 goals in the space of 10 minutes made it eight.

Jeonbuk are set to face the winners of Group H in the last 16 should they fail to claim all three points at Kashima on matchday 6. Persipura remain pointless with a goal difference they surely can’t be proud of.

Group A
AFC Asian Champions League Group A was settled today, with Esteghlal securing their qualification with a home win over Al Ahli while a hat-trick from Brazilian Araujo meant that Al Gharafa now also progress.

Esteghlal 2–1 Al Ahli

Esteghlal booked their spot in the round of 16 thanks to a 2-1 victory over Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Mehdi Salehi put the hosts ahead after 25 minutes, shooting past Yasser Al Mosailem in the Al Ahli goal. Brazilian Victor Simoes equalised from the penalty spot ten minutes later before Amirhossein Saghedi headed Esteghlal into the final 16 right on half-time.

Al Gharafa 4-2 Al-Jazira

Former Cruzeiro striker Araujo has been a revelation since joining the Cheetahs in 2007 and he was the hero again this evening, striking a hat-trick to sink UAE League outfit Al-Jazira and sending Al Gharafa into the knockout stages.

The Brazilian headed his first on 11 minutes, leaping to nod home a Juninho cross, and then doubled the lead five minutes before the break. Any hope Al-Jazira had of a comeback were quickly quashed when the Brazilian hitman completed his hat-trick a minute after the break, latching onto a mistake from Jazira goalkeeper Ali Kashief Housani. By the time Otman El Assas made it four shortly after the hour mark, the game was already up. Former Betis striker Rafael Sobis pulled one back for the visitors before Ali Albloushi grabbed a second consolation in the final minute.

Group B
Hassan Amin’s scored the only goal of the game in the 71st minute to give Al Wahda an unexpected win over group leaders Zobahan.

Al Wahda 1-0 Zobahan

Al Wahda hasn’ had a good tournament so far sitting last in Group B. Iran’s Zobahan, meanwhile, have been one of the stand-out performers of this season’s competition, having achieved an unexpected double over Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Bunyodkor.

The hosts made a thrilling start to the game and should have had the game won at half-time. They finally scored in the 71st minute thanks to a fine solo effort from Amin to clinch a bit of pride for the 2007 semi-finalists.

Al-Ittihad 1–1 Bunyodkor

Bunyodkor were hoping for an improved performance this week after 2 straight defeats. Scolari knew defeat would all but eliminate them. The hosts went ahead through a 37th minute penalty, however, Aziz Haydarov’s equaliser just after the hour was enough to clinch a point and save the day. All will now be decided on matchday six when Bunyodkor host Al Wahda and Al-Ittihad travel to Iran to face Zobahan.

Match Day 4 Tuesday of the AFC Champions League 2010 resulted in some upsets and wake up calls for many teams that had a easy road so far.

Group B

Zob Ahan have managed 2 major upsets in a matter of weeks against the Uzbek aristocrats Bunyodkor on Tuesday.

They followed up their MD3 3-0 home victory with a 1-0 win that takes them to the top of the table with 10 points and sends Bunyodkor tumbling down to third, with six points.

Al Ittihad, of Saudi Arabia, move to second on seven points after their 4-0 victory over bottom side Al Wahda, of UAE.

Mohammad Khalatbari took advantage of a goalkeeping error to score Zob Ahan’s winner in the first half as Bunyodkor finished the match with 10 men after their Brazilian star Rivaldo was sent off for a high challenge.

Two-time champions Al Ittihad were in fine form at home with Saud Kariri scoring twice and Abdelmalik Ziaya and Sultan Al Numare also finding the net.

Group D

Mes Kerman crushed the hopes of Al Sadd by sealing their last 16 place on MD4. Mes avenged their defeat from last week by winning 3-1.

After Khalfan Ibrahim gave Al Sadd the lead after seven minutes, Mes came storming back with goals from Brazilian Edinho, Ali Samareh and Paulo Zaltron.

Korean international Lee Young-pyo was Hilal’s hero as he scored the winner in injury time in Dubai. Yasser Al Qahtani and Christian Wilhelmsson had earlier given Hilal a 2-0 lead after only 16 minutes before the home side fought back through Ahmed Khalil and Cesar to make it 2-2.

Group F

Kashima Antlers have qualified for the round of 16 after beating Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura 3-1.

Jeonbuk, are also mathematically guaranteed a place in the next round.

All goals in the Kashima-Persipura match came in the first half. Yasushi Endo gave Kashima the lead against a side who had conceded 14 in their previous two matches.

Yustina Pae equalised for Persipura for their second goal of the competition before Shinzo Korogi and Atsuto Uchida made it safe for the Antlers.

Korean national striker Lee Dong-gook scored a fine free-kick in the second half to give Jeonbuk their second straight victory over Changchun, in Jeonju.

Group H

Sanfrecce Hiroshima, upset group leaders Adelaide United’s 1-0 at the Big Arch. The first win  came courtesy of Hisato Sato’s goal at the stroke of half-time.

Adelaide now share first position with defending champions Pohang Steelers, who beat China’s Shandong Luneng 2-1 away.

Sanfrecce and Shandong have three points each.

Pohang needed a late goal from Kim Tae-su to beat Shandong. The visitors had taken the lead six minutes into the second half through Kim Jae-sung but substitute Li Jinyu equalised in the 73rd minute before Tae-su hit the winner five minutes from time.