Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic was left to rue the loss to injury of star striker Asamoah Gyan prior to the start of his side’s clash with Pakhtakor as the two sides shared a 1-1 draw in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.
Gyan, who was set to return from an injury lay-off, withdrew just before kick-off and the loss of the Ghanaian hampered Dalic as his side aims to qualify for the Round of 16 of the 2015 continental championship.
“The draw was not bad although we were looking to get a victory because we are playing at home and in front of our fans,” said Dalic. “We controlled proceedings in the first half and scored an important goal but we conceded a goal before half time.
“The goal disappointed our players and gave a big boost for our opponents. We missed several key players in the match including Asamoah Gyan who was injured just before the match and their absence affected us.”
Al Ain took the lead in the 20th minute through Jires Kembo-Ekoko but a goal from Uzbekistan international striker Igor Sergeev in first-half injury time ensured the points were shared.
The draw means Pakhtakor remain only a point behind Al Ain going into the final two rounds of matches in the group stages of the 2015 AFC Champions League.
“Getting a point from Al Ain is important because the match was very hard,” said Pakhtakor coach Samvel Babayan.
“We had a good performance tonight and we were hoping to get the three points but at the end of the day we got a point which is still important.”
“We created a lot of danger for Al Ain and we managed to level the scores at the end of the first half. This affected us and the players pushed forward in the second half as they were hoping to win the match and get the three points.”
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