Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Although disappointed by his team’s second half performance, coach Jaime Pacheco was relieved that his Al Shabab side were able to salvage a point in Tuesday’s AFC Champions League Group B Matchday Two tie against visitors Pakhtakor from Uzbekistan.
Substitute Naif Hazazi was on target for the Saudi club on the 84th minute to score the game’s fourth and final goal in what had been a back-and-forth tie at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium.
Abdulrahman Al Khaibary had put the hosts in front before Igor Sergeev levelled in the second half and then Pakhtakor captain Kakhi Makharadze gave the visitors the lead.
To Pachecho’s relief, though, half-time replacement Hazazi finished off a flowing move in the final minutes to maintain Al Shabab’s unbeaten record in the tournament after they also drew with last year’s semi-finalists Al Ain on Matchday One.
Match report: Al Shabab 2-2 Pakhtakor
“We played a good first half as we controlled the proceedings and took the lead in the match. In the first half we were the best side but in the second half things changed and we made some mistakes which affected us,” said Al Shabab coach Pachecho.
“Our opponents used long balls in the second half and this gave them the advantage while the players’ spirits were affected by the two goals.
“Our problem tonight was not physical, it was psychological, but we still managed to score and get a point from the match.”
The point for Pakhtakor does ensure Samvel Babayan’s side remains top of Group B, two points clear of Al Shabab and Al Ain, having picked up a win last week against Iran’s Naft Tehran in Tashkent.
However, having taken the lead in the second-half after coming back from a goal down, Babayan was disappointed in the manner in which his side conceded late on and passed up on the chance of an away win.
“We knew that Al Shabab would be strong opponents and the match was very tough for us. However, in the second half we scored two goals and I believe that we lost two points from the match,” said Pakhtakor coach Babayan.
“We created many scoring chances and we scored in the second half but towards the end of the match we gave Al Shabab the chance to score the equaliser and unfortunately we got one point instead of winning the match.”
Photo: WSG