Dubai: Al Ahli secured a resourceful yet smashing 4-0 win over Uzbekistan’s PFC Lokomotiv and advance to the knockouts of the 2017 AFC Champions League late on Tuesday.
Bogged down by a long injury list and the crucial suspension of striker Makhete Diop, Al Ahli managed to get full points and avenge their away loss with the bare minimum players on offer.
The result changed nothing as Al Ahli completed their engagements at the top of Group A with eleven points, followed by Esteghlal, Iran who won away against Al Taawoun of Saudi Arabia in the day’s other match and qualify.
Needing full points, the visitors played an open game while searching for an early goal. This only helped the home team to create chances in abundance, and at will.
Al Ahli’s first real opportunity came when Esmail Al Hammadi ran down the right flank to accept an Abdul Aziz Haikal delivery and then only to see his dipping cross narrowly evade the outstretched head on an onrushing Saeed Ahmad Abdullah.
The Red Knights continued to pressure the Uzbeks and had two close calls within a couple of minutes. First, in the 12th minute Abdul Aziz Sangour shot meekly into the waiting hands of Mamur Ikramov and then two minutes later Haikal too could not get a clear view of the goal.
The home team continued asserting themselves with Asamoah Gyan’s overhead kick from deep inside the opponent’s penalty area missing narrowly. The visitors nearly opened the scoring in the 25th minute following a mispass from Haikal, but luckily Murodbek Bobojonov miscued his shot with an open goal before him.
Al Ahli finally took the lead in the 27th minute when Salmin Khamis had the easiest of tasks of nodding into an empty goal after Ikramov had totally misjudged a free kick floated in by Brazilian midfielder Everton Ribeiro.
The home team could have been 2-0 up before haf-time when Gyan had the easiest of chances in the 37th minute after Ribeiro had nicked in a ball in his path. But the unmarked Ghanaian managed to blast over with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Al Hammadi doubled their lead in the 58th minute when his rasping drive hit the upright and bounced off the goalkeeper into an empty goal. With a two-goal cushion Al Ahli continued having a better possession and chances on goal with their best chance coming four minutes after the hour when Saeed Ahmad Abdullah’s shot was well saved by Ikramov.
Gyan finally got his name on the scoresheet when he ran in to a Ribeiro pass and lobbed over an onrushing Uzbek goalkeeper in the 72nd minute.
And then five minutes later, Ribeiro put the final nail in the coffin when he accepted a long ball from Gyan and adroitly placed into an empty goal.
RESULTS
Al Taawoun, Saudi Arabia x Esteghlal, Iran 1-2
Al Ahli, Dubai x PFC Lokomotiv, Uzbekistan 4-0