Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tashkent: Bunyodkor advanced to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League as Alibobo Rakhmatullaev’s dramatic extra-time header secured a 3-2 win over Australia’s Adelaide United on Wednesday to send the Uzbekistan champions through 5-4 on aggregate.
With the tie level at 2-2 from the first leg last month, Adelaide twice took the lead in either half through Iain Fyfe and Jeronimo Neumann only for Bunyodkor to swiftly respond on both occasions through Lutfulla Turaev and Akmal Shorakhmedov.
Fabian Barbiero’s red card in the last minute of normal time seemed to hand the home side the advantage only for Bunyodkor’s Anvar Gafurov to also pick up his second yellow card towards the end of the first period of extra-time.
But with penalties looming, substitute Rakhmatullaev headed home Turaev’s cross to send Bunyodkor into the semi-finals for the first time since 2008, when they lost to Adelaide.
Like in the first leg, Adelaide again adopted an uncharacteristic attacking approach and were rewarded after only four minutes as Fyfe – who netted after just seven minutes of the first leg – rifled a low shot into the bottom corner following good work from Dario Vidosic.
Eugene Galekovic then added to his AFC Champions League highlights reel with a superb last-ditch block from Kamoliddin Murzoev after 13 minutes with the striker odds-on to score after Jan Kozak’s low drive had only been parried by the visiting custodian.
But seven minutes later Galekovic was left helpless to stop Bunyodkor levelling the contest as a lofted ball into the area from Viktor Karpenko found Turaev in space and the striker coolly guided a downward header into the bottom corner.
Murzoev twice went close for Bunyodkor in quick succession, but three minutes after the hour mark Adelaide regained the lead as Neumann, who had only replaced Evan Kostopoulos less than a minute earlier, swept home from inside the area despite the best efforts of Bunyodkor goalkeeper Ignaity Nesterov.
The lead, though, lasted just 10 minutes as a left wing cross was only partially cleared by the Adelaide defence and Shorakhmedov’s low first-time volley from just inside the penalty area squirmed under Galekovic to level the tie on aggregate.
With extra-time looming, Adelaide’s hopes were dealt a huge blow in the last minute of normal time as Barbiero received a second yellow card after kicking the ball away following a foul on Rakhmatullaev on the right touchline.
But Gafurov’s second yellow card of the night following a foul on Vidosic 12 minutes into the first period of extra-time then also leveled the sides in terms of personnel, with the first period of 15 additional minutes failing to produce a genuine threat on goal from either side.
The home side though found the breakthrough with six minutes remaining as Turaev’s flighted cross from the left wing found Rakhmatullaev inside the penalty area the midfielder guided his header past Galekovic.
Adelaide eventually finished the match with nine men as Fyfe was sent-off in stoppage time at the end of the second period of extra-time after also picking up a second yellow card.