En-Nesyri Free-Kick Gives Ittihad 2-1 Win

Al-Ittihad beat Neftchi 2-1 in Fergana on October 26, as Youssef En-Nesyri's 90th-minute free-kick earned their first AFC Champions League Elite win.

It was a dramatic comeback for the Saudi side. Neftchi started strongly. Alisher Odilov tested goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic with a long-range effort in the second minute, and the hosts took the lead from the penalty spot in the 17th minute. Jamshid Iskanderov scored the spot-kick.

Al-Ittihad levelled in the 34th minute. Houssem Aouar scored the equaliser to make it 1-1 at half-time. The second half became a tense, tight contest. Neftchi goalkeeper Ergashev saved a shot from Muhannad Al-Shanqiti in the 72nd minute, and the match looked to be heading for a draw.

Substitute Youssef En-Nesyri had come on in the 63rd minute and spent half an hour looking for a clear sight of goal. Then, at the end of regular time, Al-Ittihad won a free-kick outside the area. En-Nesyri stood over it and curled the ball past the wall and into the net. It was the first direct free-kick goal of his career. It was also his eighth goal of the season in 14 appearances for the club in all competitions.

The goal gave Al-Ittihad their first lead, and first win, of this season's competition. Before the match they had gone 270 minutes without leading at any stage. Head coach Jens Wissing's side had drawn 1-1 with Al-Shamal in their opener, after a late equaliser, and then lost 2-1 to Shabab Al-Ahli in Jeddah on matchday two.

The win lifts Al-Ittihad to four points from three matches. They are provisionally seventh in the West Region table. Neftchi, who beat Iraq's Air Force SC in their opener, remain on three points in eighth place.

The league phase has eight matchdays, so Al-Ittihad have five games left to improve their position. Only the top eight teams in each region qualify directly for the round of 16, which means the margin for error is already small.