Abu Dhabi: A 10-man Al Ain showed nerves of steel to ride on a solitary goal from Slovakian Miroslav Stoch and clinch an impressive win over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in their AFC Asian Champions League Group B encounter in Tashkent on Wednesday.
The Boss have now moved to the top of their group with five points from three matches.
Al Ain had to keep the home team at bay with some desperate defending for about 20 minutes after goalscorer Stoch was given his marching orders for a second booking. The former Asian champions were also indebted to keeper Khalid Eisa, who was rock solid under the bar and came up with some good saves.
But the scoreline could have been even more convinving had Jires Kembo Ekoko been on target. The Congolese missed at least three clear-cut chances including an open goal in the early minutes of the first half.
After latching on to a defensive lapse, Kembo Ekoko had Pakhtakor keeper Alexander Lobanov at his mercy, but his shot sailed over the framework. Later, a long ranger from him was well covered by an alert Lobanov.
In the 31st minute, Kembo Ekoko attempted an ambitious volley after the ball had lobbed in the air following a poor clearance, but his shot went just wide of the post.
Much was expected from playmaker Stoch in the absence of stalwarts Asamoah Gyan and Omar Abdul Rahman and he did not disappoint. He held the ball up well, created ample scoring opportunities and always looked dangerous with the ball inside the box.
Al Ain kept up the pressure after half-time with their sporadic raids. Five minutes into the second half, Kembo Ekoko’s inability to find the goal once again came to the fore as he failed to put the finishing touch to a long ball from Lee Myung-ju.
In the 55th minute, Mohammad Abdul Rahman failed to direct a shot to perfection. However, five minutes later he compensated for the missed chance by setting up Stoch with a measured cross and the latter showed his class by blasting into the goal with a powerful effort.
