With a dramatic finale, Al-Sadd finishes second in the group, but it might not be enough to keep them in contention. 

Qatar’s Al Sadd will cling on to hope in the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League following a rousing 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan’s FC Nasaf in the sixth and last round (Group B) match played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Monday.

Expected to be a make-or-break game for the Qatari team, Mateus Uribe struck from outside the box to open the scoring in the 5th minute.

Dominating in ball possession throughout the match, Al Sadd shot 14 shots with four on target, while Nasaf aimed to keep up offensively.

The Uzbekistan squad had a better chance at the box but failed to secure a shot in the first half.

Nasaf’s effort would pay off as Jambul Jighauri rained down two goals in the 83rd and 90th minutes of the game.

Catching the home team off guard, Jighauri headed in a Sherzod Nasrullayev cross from the centre of the box to tie the game before slapping another goal to take the lead.

Qatar was gifted hail mercy in the game’s final minutes as Baghdad Bounedjah edged in an unexpected goal to level the match.

Despite the comeback, Al-Sadd finished second in the group, but more is needed as they will require both a draw between Pakhtakor and Al-Fayha and a win from Al-Duhail, who must defeat Persepolis in Tehran.

However, history has shown that Qatar’s local teams have continuously faced defeat at the AFC Champions League tournament.

In his post-match statement, captain Hassan Al-Haydos said: “Unfortunately, we made things difficult for ourselves, as it was possible to secure more points in the group stage, but we did not succeed in doing so.”

He added: “The sad thing after this draw is seeing the fans leave the stadium disappointed, but we promise to compensate for this result in the upcoming matches. We will work on correcting the mistakes in the coming games to avoid ending the season without a title.”