The match was decided by a 44th-minute penalty kick from Chimba, who netted his fourth goal in eight days to extend a successful run which began with last Saturday’s playoff victory over Al Ain.

The win sends the Iranian side into second in the group behind Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, who they will face on Tuesday, while Al Wehdat remain without a goal after two matches in their first AFC Champions League campaign.

Both sides went into the tie needing the three points after having opened their campaigns with draws, with Al Sadd needing a last gasp equaliser against Islamic Republic of Iran's Foolad Khouzestan FC while Al Nassr couldn't find a way past the resolute defence of Jordan's Al Wehdat.

The win boosts 2020 AFC Champions League semi-finalists Al Nassr's hopes of advancing to the Round of 16 while Al Sadd have it all to do if they are to salvage their campaign.

Tractor went into the game determined to pick up their first win of the campaign after a thrilling opening day draw against Pakhtakor, while Sharjah - who had already beaten Iraq’s Air Force Club in the Group B opener - looked to consolidate their position on top of the group but neither side could provide the cutting edge throughout the 90 minutes.

Having collected a point from their 3-3 draw with Tractor FC on Matchday One, Pakhtakor were determined to get their first win of the campaign and signaled their intent with a dominant, albeit ultimately scoreless, first half display while Air Force Club sat deep and looked to hit on the counter.

Hojimat Erkinov’s cross that was easily caught by Fahad Taleb was the closest to a real chance either side could muster in the opening quarter of an hour.

The Islamic Republic of Iran side turned on the power in the second half as they added to the 1-0 opening day win against UAE's Al Wahda FSCC while Al Rayyan were left in search of their first victory, having been held 0-0 by FC Goa on Matchday One.

The draw followed the club’s goalless clash with Qatar’s Al Rayyan in the opening round of the 2021 edition of the continental club championship on Wednesday while Al Wahda picked up their first point of the campaign, having lost their first fixture against Islamic Republic of Iran's Persepolis FC.

The two teams are no strangers to each other, having met nine times previously in the AFC Champions League. Their most recent meeting was in the 2020 edition where Al Hilal claimed a 2-1 victory before withdrawing from the tournament due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.