Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tashkent: A header from Portuguese defender Ricardo Machado in the second minute of injury time earned Al Taawoun a point in an enthralling 4-4 draw with Lokomotiv on Tuesday, ensuring both sides keep alive their hopes of progression from Group A of the 2017 AFC Champions League.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 18th minute thanks to a goal-of-the-tournament contender from Abdulmajeed Al Suwat. The 21-year-old received the ball in his own half before dribbling his way into the box past five Lokomotiv players to put the ball past Ignatiy Nesterov.
Parity was restored three minutes later when Marat Bikmaev headed the ball home from Jaloliddin Masharipov’s pinpoint corner. And Bikmaev scored his second from the penalty spot, before finishing his hat-trick two minutes into the second-half when he scuffed a volley past Fahad Al Shammari.
Al Taawoun mounted a spirited comeback and scored two quick goals midway through the second-half through Jehad Al Hussain and Alassane N’Diaye to level things up at 3-3, before Masharipov looked to have secured the win with a solo effort nine minutes from time.
But Machado’s towering header in the 92nd minute silenced the home crowd and means, despite sitting third and fourth in Group A, both teams go into Matchday Six still with the chance of progressing to the Round of 16.