Al Rayyan go down to Lokomotiv in AFC Champions League Round 6
QATAR’S Al Rayyan went down fighting to Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv 2-3 in Round 6 of the AFC Champions League at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent on Tuesday.
Both teams had already bowed out of the tournament even before their last group game.
The visitors got off to a flying start, taking the lead within just 57 seconds of kickoff. Lokomotiv players looked shaky in possession as they attempted to build up from the back, allowing Al Rayyan players to apply pressure high up the field.
Goalkeeper Mamur Ikramov failed to deal with a backpass, hoofing the ball into the path of Rodrigo Tabata who intercepted the ball inside the box and fired into the back of the net to hand Al Rayyan the perfect start.
Things looked rosier for coach Gilson Souza as Al Rayyan doubled their lead halfway through the opening period.
Tabata curled an outswinging corner that was met by the head of Gonzalo Vieira who placed his header into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
A lapse in concentration allowed Lokomotiv a way back into the game as Husniddin Gafurov supplied an outsideof-the-boot pass for Sardor Mirzayev who found himself in plenty of space inside Al Rayyan box and curled in his side’s first of the game.
The goal gave the home side a morale boost and Andrey Fedorov’s men came from the half-time break a different side.
Within just two minutes of the restart, Arslanmurat Amanov had advanced down the right and played a crossfield pass to Temurkhuja Abdukholikov who controlled and calmly placed the ball past Al Rayyan goalkeeper Fahd Younis from a tight angle to bring the match to square one.
Amanov and Abdukholikov combined again to seal the win for Lokomotiv in the 61st minute in a similar fashion to the side’s second goal.
This time around, Amanov dribbled deeper into Al Rayyan’s box before whipping a low cross that Abdukholikov met first time into the back of the net to complete the hosts’ comeback.
Lokomotiv ended the campaign with seven points in third place in Group B, four more than Al Rayyan who finished last.