The hopes of Al Ain, the defending champion, to qualify for the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League for elite football, suffered a painful blow with a 1-1 draw with ten players against its host, Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, in the sixth round of the league stage for the western region of the continent on Tuesday.
Otabek Jurakozyev put Pakhtakor ahead early in the sixth minute after he caught a rebound from Al Ain goalkeeper Khaled Issa.
Moroccan Sofiane Rahimi equalized for Al Ain in the 49th minute with a shot from outside the area after a quick counterattack.
The referee sent off Al Ain player Yahya Nader in the 52nd minute due to a violent intervention on a player from Pakhtakor.
Kodjo Laba wasted the chance of an eye-catching goal with a header in the 75th minute that passed just a few centimeters from the goal.
The Al Ain crossbar saved a Pakhtakor header in the 88th minute, while Al Ain goalkeeper Khaled Issa saved a dangerous opportunity in the 90th minute.
Al Ain, led by Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim, had no alternative but to win the match in order to revive its chances of qualifying for the round of 16, as it is at the bottom of the standings with two points. Pakhtakor is in ninth place with four points. The first eight teams out of the 12 teams in the league stage in the East and West Asia regions advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.
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