TASHKENT — Al Hilal's AFC Champions League hopes suffered a setback on Tuesday as the Saudi giants fell to a 1-0 defeat against Pakhtakor in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash at the JAR Stadium. A first-half goal from Brazilian forward Flamarion proved to be the difference, leaving Al Hilal with a tough task in the return leg in Riyadh next week. Pakhtakor's disciplined performance exposed Al Hilal's recent struggles, with the Saudi Pro League leaders lacking their usual attacking fluency in the absence of star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Uzbek side, determined to make the most of their home advantage, showed greater urgency from the start, settling quickly into the freezing conditions while Al Hilal looked off the pace. The hosts had an early sight of goal in the eighth minute when Brayan Riascos met a cross with a diving header, narrowly missing the target. Al Hilal responded in the 19th minute through Kaio Cesar, who whipped in a dangerous cross, but Marcos Leonardo failed to direct his header on goal from close range. Pakhtakor's pressure paid off in the 29th minute. Riascos found space on the right flank and delivered a low cross that Flamarion expertly guided past Yassine Bounou, catching the Al Hilal defense napping. The goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy and left Al Hilal scrambling for a response. Despite their dominance in the AFC Champions League League Stage, Al Hilal lacked their usual cutting edge, failing to break down a well-organized Pakhtakor defense. Even after Riascos was forced off with an injury before the hour mark, the visitors struggled to capitalize. Their best chance came in the 63rd minute when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's powerful header sailed just over the bar. Pakhtakor nearly doubled their lead in the 70th minute when Diyor Kholmatov forced Bounou into a smart save, and his follow-up header was heroically cleared off the line by Mohammed Kanno. Al Hilal's last opportunity to rescue a draw arrived five minutes before full-time, but Abdullah Al Hamdan's fierce strike was comfortably gathered by Pakhtakor's goalkeeper Jhonatan. With the narrow defeat, Al Hilal must now produce a strong performance in the return leg at the Kingdom Arena next week to keep their hopes of a record-extending fifth AFC Champions League title alive.
