Al-Saqri made the most of a ricocheting ball in the box [EPA]Saleh Al-Saqri's second-half score gave Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad a 1-1 draw with Pakhtakor and an important away goal in their Asian Champions League quarter-final in Tashkent.
Midfielder Milan Nikolic beat the offside trap and Ittihad goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid in the sixth minute at Pakhtakor Stadium.
But Al-Saqri equalised in the 71st with a flukey goal when Anzur Ismailov's attempted clearance hit Ittihad defender Hamad Al-Montashari in the face on the edge of the area and deflected to Al-Saqri, who blasted in from a sharp angle.
In a slow, tense game, Ittihad midfielder Hicham Aboucherouane hit the crossbar with a long-range free kick just before an hour passed, and Pakhtakor captain Odil Ahmedov missed a winning chance in injury time when his tame shot flew straight at Zaid.
The other first legs were played the night before on Tuesday, when Bunyodkor beat Pohang Steelers, Umm Salal downed FC Seoul and Kawasaki Frontale won an all-Japanese tie against Nagoya Grampus.
All four second legs are next Wednesday.
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