Abdulaziz Anbari, the coach of Sharjah, was full of praise for his squad after they salvaged a draw against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in their AFC Champions League game on Friday.

Sharjah rallied to distribute the bounty with Pakhtaor, as Mohammed Khalfan, helped by Abdulaziz Salem, equalized for the hosts with only three minutes remaining after Eren Derdiyok put the visitors ahead early. Given the draw, Sharjah maintains first place in their division with eight points from two wins and two losses.

“It was a very difficult game, particularly against a team like Pakhtakor, who thrives on ownership,” Anbari said. Despite a brilliant display by Sharjah, who routed them 4-1, Pakhtakor maintained possession in their encounter. In that game, Khalid Bawazir, Caio, Peirera, and Salem Saleh all scored as Sharjah easily defeated their Uzbek opponents.

“The fatigue from the previous matches affected our results. In that game, we pushed extremely hard. Some players were tired, and their result was below par. I am pleased with the outcome,” Anbari said.

“We were a little exhausted because we had put in tremendous hard work due to exhaustion from the previous game. We have been playing nonstop for a long time. “Our season is coming to a close, while Pakhtakor's has only just begun. As a result, it is common for players to be exhausted,” Anbari said. Sharjah's first three games were played without their main players, Igor Cornado and Al Hasan Saleh. Since the two were nursing injuries, and Welliton has been taken out entirely, he was not even registered for the tournament after injuring himself well before the start of the tournament.

The absence of the core players increased the burden on the others, who stood up and filled in for the injured players as Sharjah won two matches and drew two others to stay undefeated. Even so, playing back-to-back matches appears to be stressful on the players. Every third day, all of the teams play one match. To make up for time missed due to the pandemic last year, matches have been compressed into a jam-packed schedule. The coronavirus has taken the entire planet to its knees. To protect the athletes' wellbeing, all athletic activities were either suspended or postponed.

Anbari praised the replacements Khalfan and Salem for coming to the team's aid when they were much required. Within two minutes of his emergence on the field, Khalfan equalized for Sharjah in the dying moments. He scored the early break after a low pass from another replacement, Salem.

“I am ecstatic about the effort of the replacement players. In critical and difficult competitions like this, the whole team is crucial. All of the players have been working hard in preparation and they feel they must be able to perform when called upon. And they did just what they were supposed to do. I am satisfied with their productivity,” said a high-ranking Sharjah coach.

Despite taking the lead and leading the contest, Pakhtakor coach Peter Huistra was disappointed that his team did not win their first game of the tournament.

“Today, we saw what we're competent of. We can play strong football. It's heartbreaking not to win the game after leading from start to finish. “I believe we deserved that win today,” Huistra said.

“We had complete control of the game and didn't let them have any chances.  But they were fortunate to focus on their only chance and achieve the target,” muttered the Pakhtakor coach.

“It's crazy that we couldn't succeed with the style we played and implemented our strategies. So far, this has not been our match, as we have wavered after getting close each time. “However, I remain optimistic about a change of circumstances. We only have two games remaining, and we need to take them to progress to the Round of 16,” he said. Pakhtakor currently sits third in Group B, with three draws and one loss from their three games so far. Though the Iraqi Air Force has been excluded after their new defeat to Tractor on Friday.