"Pakhtakor" won a ticket to the 1/8 finals of Elite OChL!

^{Photo: Pakhtakor}
Pakhtakor, who participated in the AFC Elite Champions League for the first time, advanced to the 1/8 finals of the tournament.

The Uzbek team defeated Al Sadd (2:1) in the last round thanks to a brace from Colombian striker Brian Riascos, achieving its first victory in the tournament.

The team's progress to the next stage depended on other matches, and the Lions achieved satisfactory results in those matches. More precisely, the Saudi giants, who had already decided the play-offs ahead of schedule, did not lose in the last match, which officially decided Pakhtakor's progress to the 1/8 finals. Al Nasr drew with Persepolis (0:0), while Al Ahli defeated Al Gharafa (4:2).

As a result, Pakhtakor, who have collected 7 points from 8 matches, will not drop below 8th place (8 out of 12 teams will qualify) and became the first Uzbek club to play in the Elite ACL playoffs. The opponents in the semi-finals will be either Al Hilal or Al Ahli.

Currently, there are 7 confirmed places in the Western Region - Al Ahli, Al Hilal, An Nasr (all three from Saudi Arabia), Al Sadd, Al Rayyan (both from Qatar), Al Wasl (UAE) and Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan).

The last 8th participant will be an Iranian club. If Istiqlol, played by Jaloliddin Masharipov, does not lose to Ar Rayyan on February 18, they will advance to the next round. If Istiqlol loses, Persepolis, played by Oston Urunov, will play in the playoffs. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”