Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia and Pakhtakor played out a 1:1 draw in their League Phase opener on Sunday, a result that leaves both sides level on one point after one match. The hosts dominated possession with 57 per cent but could only find the net in stoppage time, while Pakhtakor struck late to salvage something from their visit to Riyadh. And here's the thing — you could argue either side deserved more from a game that swung between phases rather than moments.
Flamarion gave Al-Ahli the lead in the 86th minute, a goal that seemed to settle nerves in a match where the visitors had weathered sustained pressure. Pakhtakor responded quickly, with F. Al Buraikan equalising three minutes later, leaving the hosts to chase the game into the final moments. The visitors had already seen I. Ibrokhimov booked in the 63rd minute before the drama unfolded, and E. Spertsyan picked up a card in the 90+6th minute as the match concluded.
There were substitutions throughout, with both managers looking to change the dynamic. Al-Ahli brought on N. Masoud and Z. Tahseen together at half-time, then added Galeno in the 53rd minute before making a double change in the 68th. Pakhtakor responded with I. Toney and M. Demiral at the break, followed by D. Khamdamov and A. Hussein in the 69th, then S. Nasrullaev and A. Mozgovoy later on. To be fair, neither manager could find a decisive edge despite the changes.
The statistics tell the story of a match where territory did not translate into control. Al-Ahli registered 114 attacks against 54 for Pakhtakor, while their shots on target totalled five compared to the visitors' single effort. The hosts created two big chances to Pakhtakor's one, and their expected goals figure of 1.60 suggested they should have won, but they managed only one shot accuracy percentage of 20 per cent. Pakhtakor, meanwhile, completed just 272 passes to Al-Ahli's 459, yet their goalkeeper made four saves to keep the result level.
Both sides remain in the bottom half of the table after this opening round, with Al-Ahli in 10th place and Pakhtakor in 9th, each carrying one point from one game. Neither side has won or lost yet, so the standings offer little in the way of prediction. By then, when there are more matches to compare, these positions will mean something more concrete. For now, they simply mark two teams who have started cautiously and will need to build from here.