AFC Women’s Champions Leage:
Didar leaves it late as Khatoon salvages point against Al Nassr
Iranian top-flight champion Bam Khatoon had a last-gasp equalizer to thank for a 1-1 draw against Al Nassr in their second Group E game in the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 preliminary stage in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Thursday.
Iranian international striker Sara Didar found the net for Khatoon six minutes into stoppage time to cancel out Clara Luvanga’s 84th-minute opener from the spot for the Saudi champion.
Khatoon, which had beaten CSKA Dushanbe 3-0 in its opener, recovered from a slow start against Al Nassr to come close to breaking the deadlock in the 21st minute, only for Fatemah Shaban to fire tamely at goalkeeper Mona Alowais in a one-on-one encounter.
Luvanga, who was also on the scoresheet in the 2-2 draw against Etihad Club, led the Saudi outfit’s attack on numerous occasions but saw her efforts fall short at the final hurdle.
Both sides ended the first half with Al Nassr having made four attempts at goal compared with Bam Khatoon’s two, but neither side had anything to show for its efforts.
The four-time Saudi Women’s Premier League champion picked up the pace after the break, with Hessa Alisa’s lob from inside the penalty area in the 53rd minute skimming over the bar, while Luvanga’s long-distance effort moments later was comfortably handled by Iranian goalkeeper Raha Yazdani.
With the match seemingly headed for a stalemate, Al Nassr was handed a lifeline when Yasna Jafarnia brought down Shuruq Alhsawi in the 84th minute, with Luvanga stepping up to the penalty spot and coolly sweeping the ball past a rooted Yazdani.
Didar then came to Bam Khatoon’s rescue in the dying seconds when she picked up a cross from Shaban on the left and toed the ball past Alowais from the center of the area to earn her side a share of the points.
The result left Khatoon second in the group with four points, trailing Jordan’s Etihad Club on goal difference. The result means the Iranian outfit must win when the two sides go head-to-head on the final day of the preliminaries on Sunday, as only one team will advance to the group stage of the continent’s elite club competition.
Iraqi international Shokhan Salihi scored a hat-trick, with Leen Al-Btoush adding a double, to steer Etihad Club to a 5-1 hammering of CSKA Dushanbe later on Thursday.