UZBEKISTAN

Advantage Pakhtakor as defeat derails Lokomotiv

With Uzbekistan’s top-flight resuming after the summer break, league leaders Pakhtakor carried on from where they left off with a 3-1 home success over Kokand 1912; a win made all the more significant by Lokomotiv’s simultaneous 1-0 loss away to mid-table Sogdiana.

In the day’s earlier game, Jonathan Soriano’s brace along with goals from Mohammed Al Shalhoub, Nasser Al Dawsari, Omar Khrbin, Hatan Bahbri and Ahmad Sharaf saw a largely second-string Al Hilal side run out 7-1 winners against NK Brine Grosuplje who play in Slovenia’s third tier.

Doi played in both legs when Kashima slid out at the Round of 16 phase at the hands of the Chinese Super League club – and two-time AFC Champions League winners – as Antlers continued a dismal record of failing to advance to the last eight for the fourth time since 2009.

But, with their confidence since boosted by their first-ever title win last year, Doi is convinced he and his teammates can avenge that loss and keep alive their dream of claiming back-to-back AFC Champions League crowns.

The two-time FIFA World Cup winner retired from competitive football in May following a stellar career which also saw him claim a plethora of Spanish La Liga and UEFA Champions League crowns.

Having bowed out on a high thanks to 2018-19 Qatar Stars League title success as a player with Al Sadd, the 39-year-old is adamant that his thirst for silverware remains the same as his charges prepare for a new domestic campaign and knockout stage action in the 2019 AFC Champions League.

The two finalists are breaking new ground for Vietnamese football with the pair their nation's first clubsides to reach this stage.

To explain the numbers behind the story, we've delved into the statistics to show how they got there with new ASEAN Zonal champions set to be crowned following the two legged match-up on July 31 and August 7.

The-AFC.com spoke to two regional specialists to preview the tie which will see the V.League sides clash on the Continental stage for the first time.

The two-legged final will kick off on July 31 at Binh Duong Stadium with the return meeting at Hanoi's Hang Day Stadium the following week. The victors will progress to the Inter-Zone semi-finals and a meeting with the Central Zone champions, Altyn Asyr of Turkmenistan.

We look at six players – three from each of the finalists – who could prove to be the difference-makers.