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Pakhtakor beat Al Ahli 2-1
Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan caused an upset in the Asian Champions League when they beat Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Tashkent on Wednesday.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:51 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Tashkent:
Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan caused an upset in the Asian Champions League when they beat Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Tashkent on Wednesday. It was the first loss that the Group D leaders had suffered in the competition. Despite the defeat, Al Ahli remain top of Group D with nine points from four games while Pakhtakor are second with six points from as many games. Syria's Al Jaish and Iraqi club Al Zawra, both with three points, complete the group. Hosts Pakhtakor took the lead in the 22nd minute. From a corner kick, a neat header by Alexy Nikolaev found an unmarked Leonid Koshelev inside the six-yard box and the defender comfortably nodded the ball into the back of the net. Pakhtakor almost doubled their lead in the 26th minute when Timur Kapadze's header struck the post from a free-kick by Alexander Geynrikh. In the 36th minute, Al Ahli drew level and the Saudi Arabian club were back in the game. Pakhtakor then nearly took the lead on the stroke of half-time. A floated free-kick gave Timur Kapadze enough space inside the box but the striker could only manage a weak shot that rebounded off the post. The teams went into the break on level terms, but the home side broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. It came from another set piece with Pakhtakor's Koshelev's whipping in a corner that found Avarjon Soliev at the far post and the striker swept the ball into the net off the crossbar. Al Ahli came close to equalising for the second time in the 75th minute. Substitute Lucio Flavio beat the defence with a free-kick but had to agonisingly watch the ball hit the crossbar and bounce to safety. Two-one proved to be the final score, handing Al Ahli their first loss in the Champions League. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
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