Action during the match between Al Wakrah and Ravshan at Al Janoub Stadium yesterday.
Doha: Eliminated Ravshan Kulob put up a resilient performance to defeat Al Wakrah 2-0 in their final AFC Champions League (ACL) Two match at Al Janoub Stadium yesterday.
Azizbek Khaitov opened the scoring in the 55th minute while Amirdzhon Safarov sealed the consolation win for the Tajikistan side in the 81st minute.
Iran’s Tractor FC and Al Wakrah had already secured their spots in the Round of 16 from Group A.
Al Wakrah, coached by Ali Rahma Al Marri, dominated much of the match taking at least six shots on target. However, Ravshan goalkeeper Yevhen Hrytsenko was instrumental in securing his team’s first points of the competition with a series of outstanding saves.
Despite the defeat, Al Marri expressed satisfaction with his team’s overall performance in the competition so far.
“I am satisfied with the performance, and we will aim to come back stronger in the next phase, which will be tougher,” the Al Wakrah coach said after the match.
“We wanted to assess players and made several substitutions, keeping in mind that we have a League match in a few days.”
The hosts began brightly, with Moayed Hassan leading Al Wakrah’s early attacks only for Hrytsenko to deny him twice. Al Wakrah controlled possession in the first half, registering three shots on target from four attempts, while Ravshan failed to muster a single shot on target despite enjoying brief spells of possession.
After the break, Al Wakrah pressed hard with Nasser Al Yazidi’s close-range effort thwarted. But the visitors stunned the home side when Khaitov slotted in the opener following a precise cross from Sorbon Ghiyosov after a swift counterattack.
David Mawutor then came close to doubling Ravshan’s lead, hitting the right post.
As Al Wakrah pushed for an equaliser, Hrytsenko continued to frustrate the hosts producing brilliant saves to deny Almahdi Ali and Nasser Al Yazidi.
Safarov put the result beyond doubt, scoring with a right-footed strike from the center of the box after an assist from Kojo Matic.
Al Wakrah will now shift their focus to their next Ooredoo Stars League match on Sunday.
