Pakhtakor Tashkent and Neftchi Fergana played their second matches of the AFC Champions League Elite league stage, with mixed results for the Uzbek clubs.
Pakhtakor earned a 1-1 draw at home against Saudi side Al-Qadsiah, while Neftchi were beaten 3-1 by Al-Nassr in Riyadh.
Pakhtakor went behind in the 35th minute when Netherlands international Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring. The hosts found a late equaliser after a VAR review led to a penalty for handball by Yasser Al-Shahrani. Dostonbek Khamdamov converted from the spot in the 89th minute.
It was Pakhtakor’s second successive draw against Saudi opposition. They had also drawn 1-1 away to defending champions Al-Ahli in the opening round, leaving the Tashkent club unbeaten with two points from two matches.
Neftchi’s game against Al-Nassr in Riyadh kicked off around an hour later than scheduled because of a security threat in the Saudi capital.
Angelo Gabriel gave Al-Nassr the lead in the 33rd minute before Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the advantage nine minutes later.
Substitute Alisher Odilov pulled one back for Neftchi early in the second half, but the visitors’ task became much harder when Ikromjon Alibaev was sent off in the 65th minute.
The final goal came in the 78th minute, when Neftchi captain Anvarjon Gofurov turned the ball into his own net to make it 3-1.
Neftchi had started their campaign with a 1-0 home win over Iraqi side Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and now have three points from two matches.
After six matches in the second round of fixtures, Al-Ain of the UAE and Iran’s Esteghlal lead the West Zone with six points each. Al-Ahli and Al-Qadsiah follow on four points.
Neftchi are seventh with three points, while Al-Nassr are eighth on the same total. Pakhtakor sit ninth with two points, just outside the round-of-16 qualification places.
This season’s AFC Champions League Elite features 16 teams in both the West and East Zones. Each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight teams in each zone advancing to the round of 16.
In the third round, Pakhtakor travel to face Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya on 26 October, while Neftchi host Saudi side Al-Ittihad on the same day.