Drama in the 90+9th minute: Neftchi plays to a hard-fought draw with Tractor in Oman (video)

In the 4th round of the AFC Champions League Elite, Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana played an away match against Iran's renowned Tractor team in Oman. The match, which was filled with intense competition until the final seconds, ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw.

The Fergana side was very close to victory against their opponents, who were reduced to 10 men in the second half, but a goal conceded in the 9th minute of stoppage time deprived Neftchi of a crucial 3 points.

Match chronicle: Red card, substitutions, and a shocking climax after the 90th minute

Although the first half of the match was cautious, the second 45 minutes saw fans witness a real thriller:

• Quick goal from Perica (55th minute): Striker Stipe Perica, who entered the field in the 54th minute, scored just one minute later to put Neftchi ahead — 0-1;

• Tractor reduced to 10 men (62nd minute): Defender Farshad Faraji of the Iranian club was sent off for a rough challenge, leaving Tractor in a difficult position;

• Strkal's response (82nd minute): Despite playing with a man down, the hosts pushed forward and equalized in the 82nd minute thanks to a precise strike from Tomislav Strkal — 1-1;

• Winning goal from Jovovic (90+4th minute): In the final minutes of stoppage time, another substitute legionnaire, Vladimir Jovovic, found the back of the net to score what seemed to be the winner for the Fergana club — 1-2;

• Shock in the 90+9th minute: Just before the final whistle, in the 90+9th minute, Masoud Zayerkazemayn equalized again, putting the final point on the match — 2-2.

Situation in the tournament table

After securing 1 point in the difficult away match in Oman, Neftchi brought their total points to 4 and maintained their chances of fighting for the next stage in the ACL Elite table.

Official match report

• AFC Champions League Elite, 4th round

• Tractor (Iran) — Neftchi (Uzbekistan) 2-2

• Goals: Tomislav Strkal 82, Masoud Zayerkazemayn 90+9 — Stipe Perica 55, Vladimir Jovovic 90+4.

• Red card: Farshad Faraji 62 (Tractor).

Lineups:

• Tractor: Parsa Jafari, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Odiljon Hamrobekov, Tibor Halilovic (Masoud Zayerkazemayn, 84), Danial Esmaeilifar (Seyed Mehdi Hosseini, 84), Sadegh Moharrami (Hadi Habibinejad, 61), Mohammad Naderi, Farshad Faraji, Mohammad Daneshgar (Mahdi Hashemnejad, 46), Shahriyar Moghanlou (Tomislav Strkal, 37), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh.

• Neftchi: Botirali Ergashev, Michel Augusto, Bojan Ciger (Khurshid Giyosov, 85), Ibrohimkhalil Yuldoshev, Asilbek Jumayev (Abrorbek Ismoilov, 46), Nurmuhammad Abduganiyev (Stipe Perica, 54), Alisher Odilov, Yan Sasse, Farrukh Sayfiyev, Ratino (Vladimir Jovovic, 76), Markus Forss (Jamshid Iskanderov, 46).