Neftchi secured a 1-0 victory against Al-Kuwa Al-Jauiya in the opening League Phase match of the AFC Champions League on 14 September 2026. The hosts held on grimly after Z. Marusic's 83rd-minute goal, moving to sixth place with three points from one game.
The match remained tight through the first hour, with both sides probing without clear-cut opportunities. Neftchi made an early change at the break, bringing on A. Ismoilov for the 46th minute. To be fair, the tempo quickened after that, but neither side could break the deadlock.
Neftchi's breakthrough came late. Marusic found space in the box and finished clinically at the 83rd minute, though he picked up a yellow card moments later for his celebration. By then, Al-Kuwa Al-Jauiya had already been forced into defensive work, their goalkeeper making two saves to keep out what came after the opener.
The statistics tell a story of Neftchi's dominance without translation into more goals. They enjoyed 52 per cent possession and created two big chances compared to none for the visitors. Their expected goals figure of 1.24 versus Al-Kuwa's 0.40 suggests they had the better of the chances, even if shots accuracy sat at just 23 per cent for the hosts.
Al-Kuwa Al-Jauiya, meanwhile, started the campaign on zero points from their first outing. The visitors managed 305 successful passes but struggled to penetrate Neftchi's structure, completing only two of fifteen crosses. Their recent form offered little comfort — a 0-1 defeat to az-Zawraa preceded this loss.
Neftchi's result puts them six points clear of the bottom of the table, though one game means little in a tournament this long. The coaching staff will likely focus on converting their dominance into goals as the season progresses, rather than resting on a single moment of quality.