Pakhtakor falls in 2nd game of group play

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TASHKENT – Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab scored two late goals to seal a 3-1 victory against FC Pakhtakor to take over first place in Group C early in the AFC Champions League season.

Al Shabab forward Flavio broke a scoreless tie in the largely defensive battle with a goal in the 61st minute and followed that up with his second goal of the game to put his team up 2-0 with 17 minutes left, according to a breakdown of the game on the AFC website.

FC Pakhtakor substitute Alisher Azizov cut the lead to 2-1 in the 77th minute, but they were unable to consistently generate an offense as Al Shabab killed the clock before putting the game away with a header by Ahmad Al Kaabi in stoppage time.

Pakhtakor Coach Miodrag Radulovic told the AFC his team was frustrated by the stalling tactics, but did not ultimately lose because of them.

“We were unlucky, and we missed too many chances”, he was quoted by the AFC. “Whoever scored first won the game. At the other end, we hit woodwork”.

Meanwhile, Al Shabab Coach Jamie Pacheco praised the efforts of Pakhtakor midfielder Odil Ahmedov.

“He is an excellent player”, Pacheco said. “We tried to buy him in the transfer period, but Pakhtakor requested too much for him”.

Pakhtakor returns to action March 23 when it hosts Iran’s Foolad Mobarekeh Sepahan in a battle for second place halfway through the group stage.