DOHA: Al Ahli SC booked their place in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26™ Round of 16 with a convincing 2-0 victory over PFC Andijon at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday. The result saw the Qatari side finish top of Group B with 10 points, while the Uzbek visitors were eliminated from the competition.
Al Ahli started on the front foot, with Erik Exposito and Sekou Yansane forcing early saves from Andijon goalkeeper Eldor Adkhamov following neat build-up play involving Julian Draxler. The pressure paid off in the 26th minute when Michel Vlap stretched to guide Draxler’s well-delivered free-kick past the stranded goalkeeper to open the scoring.
The hosts could have doubled their advantage before the break, but efforts from Draxler and Exposito struck the post, while a crucial last-ditch tackle from Abdurakhmon Komilov denied Exposito a clear finish.
Andijon’s resistance finally broke again in the 65th minute as Vlap found space outside the box and unleashed a swerving long-range strike that beat Adkhamov to make it 2-0. The midfielder went close to completing his hat-trick late on, but his miss proved inconsequential as Al Ahli comfortably saw out the match to secure a deserved win and progression to the knockout stage.
