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Bani Yas outclass Pakhtakor 2-0 to qualify to the AFC Champions League last 16

 

 

Bani Yas qualified to the last 16 of the 2012 AFC Champions League following their two straight goals over Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in their sixth and last match in the group stage played tonight at Al Shamkha Stadium in Bani Yas Club. The winners raised their tally to 11 points taking second position in Group "B" while the Uzbek team finished in third place with 7 points.  Bani Yas will take on the Saudi side Al Hilal next Wednesday who secured top spot in Group "D" in their fifth consecutive appearance in the knockout phase of the Championship after a 2-1 victory over Qatari team Al Gharafa in the next phase.

 

The hosts worked hard from the very beginning to score an early goal that would give them more confidence and boost their morals, and it was only 13 minutes into play before their efforts were paid dividends.  The Omani midfielder Fawzi Basheir collected the ball on the right flank and switched it into the box for the Senegalese striker Andre Sengahoor to rest it on his chest before driving it into the right hand side into the net giving his side a 1-0 lead. The visiting team recovered immediately after conceding the first goal making some good attempts to level the score but the hosts' defenders did not give them any room to come back to the match.

 

Bani Yas dominated the game making continuous forays hoping to score more goals but all their efforts did not help them to make it.

On the other hand the Iranians did not give up but made every bit of effort trying to find the back of the net. Their attacks were not so dangerous and that helped the home squad to spoil all their attempts. The two teams went on their balanced performance without adding more goals for Bani Yas to end the first session with a 1-0 lead.

 

Pakhtakor intensified their attacks after the interval putting more pressure on their opponents' defense and they came close to score in two successive occasions in the 51st and 53rd minutes. Bani Yas goalkeeper Mohammed Khalaf came to save a third attempt two minutes later.

 

The hosts Argentinean coach Calderon made the first substitution in his line up when he brought in Amer Abdulrahman to replace Fareed Ismail in the 59th minute so as to tighten his team's grip on the midfield zone. Sengahoor was to make it 2-0 but his strong shot was blocked by the visitors' goalie two minutes later.

 

Against the run of play, Spanish striker Yeste made an individual effort when he collected the ball and ran down the right flank, rounded up a defender and penetrated into the box before sending a cross pass to his teammate Amer Abdulrahman who did not hesitate to slam it home making it 2-0 in the 71st minute. Calderon made two successive substitutions bringing in Saleh Al Minhali and Ibrahim Jabir in the 77th minute to play instead of injured Thamir Mohammed and Yeste.  The Uzbek side created some dangerous chances in the last minutes but could not score as Bani Yas defenders stood solid on their way spoiling all their attacks to end the game on their favor with a 2-0 win.

 

On the other hand Al Jazira continued their winning streak beating Al Rayyan of Qatar 4-3 in the game held this evening at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Doha. The UAE side raised their tally to 16 points without a single defeat while Al Rayyan finished their participation taking third spot with six points. Brazilian Ricardo Oliveira scored a super hat trick for Al Jazira in the 7th, 31st, 67th, and 88th minutes and Brazilian Rodrigo Tabata, his countryman Leandro scored for the host team in the 73rd, 76th minutes and Ahmed Ala Eldin netted the third goal in the last minute.

 

Al Jazira will host Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on May 22.