Today's Edition
Uzbekistan club Nasaf and Al Ain played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 at Markaziy Stadium on Wednesday.
Soufiane Rahimi's free-kick which hit the woodwork late in the first half was the most notable chance in what was a hard-fought encounter, leaving the two sides to battle for a place in the quarter-finals in the second leg.
The inaugural Champions League winners in 2003, Al Ain last reached the last-eight stage of the tournament in 2017 while Nasaf are looking to make it past this round for the first time in their history.
The two teams started the match with a great deal of caution, with the first chance only arriving after 28 minutes when Akmal Mozgovoy flicked on a throw-in into the path of Javokhir Siddiqov who launched an effort from outside the box that took a deflection off an Al Ain defender before landing on the ceiling of the goal.
Al Ain responded through Rahimi whose in-swinging corner nearly caught Abduvohid Nematov off guard, but the Uzbek goalkeeper was able to recover and punch the ball away before it made its way into the back of the net.
Bobir Abdiholiqov was left in agony when he missed a chance that was either to score than miss. The 26-year-old had started the attack from the right flank before making his way to the far post to meet Sharof Mukhitdinov's low cross from the left, but with the empty goal at his mercy, Abdiholiqov fluffed his lines from four yards out.
Goalkeeper Khaled Eisa was called into action three minutes before the break when Oybek Ozorov turned and curled an effort towards the near post, which was saved by the Al Ain keeper then cleared by the defence.
The visitors waited until added time of the first half to have their biggest chance of the game and it was again a Rahimi set-piece. The Moroccan winger rifled a free-kick from 20 yards out which beat the wall and goalkeeper Nematov but cannoned off the crossbar and behind for a goal-kick as the first period ended goalless.
Head coach Hernan Crespo's men started the second half on the front foot, and threatened the Nasaf goal after a quick exchange of passes in the attacking third saw the ball reach Kodjo Laba who hit with his left, but it passed just wide off the upright.
With chances few and far between, both teams resorted to taking shots from long distance. With neither side able to break the deadlock, the tie will be finely poised as the two teams lock horns again in a week's time at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
