Neftchi beat Pakhtakor 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the Cup on Friday evening, a result that keeps the hosts alive in the competition while handing Pakhtakor a surprise exit. The match finished 1-0 after S. Perica struck in the 81st minute, a goal that decided everything despite Pakhtakor controlling much of the ball. The hosts had looked vulnerable all afternoon, especially after that heavy 4-1 defeat to Buhoro just eleven days earlier, but this was a different sort of performance.
By then, the game had settled into a rhythm that favoured the visitors. Pakhtakor moved the ball with ease, running possession at 57 per cent, but they couldn't find a way through. Neftchi sat deeper, absorbed pressure, and waited for their moment. And here's the thing — when you don't have the ball, you don't need to create constantly. You just need one chance to end the night.
The breakthrough came late. Perica's finish in the 81st minute was clinical, the only shot on target that mattered in a match where both sides had opportunities. Neftchi recorded four shots on target compared to Pakhtakor's one, and it was enough. The visitors had more attacks — 58 to 52 — but they went for the jugular without finding the net. They played the second half a man up in spirit, if not in numbers.
Substitutions peppered the middle and second halves. K. Erkinov came on at 27, D. Khamdamov at 42, and I. Yuldoshev right after the break. Pakhtakor made three changes in the 79th minute — A. Hussein, S. Sobirkhuzhaev, and A. Jumaev — perhaps sensing the game slipping away. Neftchi brought on K. Giyosov and Z. Marusic at 70, both additions aimed at seeing out the final quarter.
Discipline held until the closing stages. K. Alizhonov picked up a yellow in the 74th minute, and then both F. Sayfiev and Z. Tahseen went to the referee at 90+2. Three cards in total, all yellow, none that changed the outcome. The match ended with the hosts holding their nerve and Pakhtakor unable to find an equaliser in stoppage time.
The statistics tell a familiar story: possession doesn't win Cup ties. Neftchi had 43 per cent of the ball, played fewer throw-ins, and committed fewer free kicks, but they were sharper in front of goal. One goal, four shots on target, and a victory that sends them into the quarter-finals. Pakhtakor depart with 57 per cent possession and one shot on target — the kind of result that leaves managers searching for answers.