Azmoun makes brace as Shabab Al Ahli beats Nasaf
Sardar Azmoun scored two goals in two minutes to lead Shabab Al Ahli to a 3-2 win over Uzbekistan’s Nasaf in Dubai on Wednesday as the side from the United Arab Emirates claimed top spot in Group D of the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25.
Azmoun’s double came in the 32nd and 34th minutes after Nasaf’s Akmal Mosgovoy had struck in the 30th minute to cancel out Mateusao’s 23rd minute opener. Zoran Marusic was also on target for the visitors on the stroke of halftime in a goal-filled first period, The AFC reported.
The win moves Shabab Al Ahli onto 13 points from their six games and confirms Paulo Sousa’s side as winners of the group while Nasaf finish bottom of the standings on four points and are eliminated.
Marusic gave the hosts an early fright when he rattled the post after controlling Marko Stanojevic’s pass into the area but Shabab Al Ahli went in front when Mateusao finished off a flowing attacking move, lifting the ball over Umidjon Ergashev after Azmoun’s pass.
The home should have doubled that advantage three minutes later but Yassine Boualam’s weak header was off target and the lurking Mateusao was unable to apply a finishing touch from inside the six-yard box.
By the half hour mark Nasaf had pulled level, Mosgovoy stroking home an unstoppable right-foot strike when he made a perfect connection with Walid Abbas’ loose pass out of defence. But the goal provoked an immediate reaction from the hosts.
It was Azmoun who did the damage, working the ball onto his right foot inside the Nasaf penalty area after collecting Saeid Ezatolahi’s pass from the right on his chest and hitting a powerful shot that took a decisive deflection to fly over Ergashev.
The prolific Iranian pounced again two minutes later, this time calmly side-footing home when Ergashev had parried Yuri Cesar’s centre from the left into the striker’s path.
Any thoughts Shabab Al Ahli had that they would cruise to victory from there were extinguished, however, as Marusic slotted in his side’s second of the night after Murodbek Rahmatov’s pass put him in position to convert from eight yards.
After a goal-filled opening 45 minutes, chances were at a premium after the interval although Azmoun almost played Boualam in for his side’s fourth with 12 minutes remaining only for Ergashev to race out and block the Moroccan’s attempt.
That miss mattered little as Shabab Al Ahli completed the win that guaranteed they would do into the draw for the last 16 as Group D winners.
ACL Two knockout stage
Also, the lineup for the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 Round of 16 was finalized following the conclusion of the group stage on Thursday.
The 16 teams, including Tractor from Iran will now cast their eyes on the knockout stage draw which will be held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 12.
The West Zone saw Tractor FC of the Islamic Republic of Iran finishing as the Group A winners with Qatar’s Al Wakrah SC the runners-up.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun FC were the runaway winners in Group B, finishing with 15 points - three ahead of Bahrain’s Al Khaldiya SC.
UAE’s Sharjah FC were the Group C winners, finishing on 13 points with Jordan’s Al Wehdat two adrift in second place.
Shabab Al Ahli are the second team from UAE who will be in the draw after winning Group D with 13 points, three clear of Jordan’s Al Hussein.
ion City Sailors were the final team to book their spot and the Singaporean outfit did it in style, defeating Port FC 5-2 to finish top of Group F ahead of the Thai side.
Thailand’s Muangthong United also advanced after beating beat two-time AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Hyundai 1-0 to finish second behind the Korea Republic side in Group H.
Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sydney FC of Australia, who had both already confirmed their spots from Group E, concluded their campaigns with victories over Hong Kong’s Eastern and Kaya FC-Iloilo respectively on Thursday.
Bangkok United topped Group G ahead of Nam Dinh with the Thai side accumulating 13 points, two more than the team from Vietnam.
The Round of 16 will be played in February 2025, followed by the quarter-finals in March and semi-finals in April. The single-leg final is scheduled for May 17, 2025.