Al Wasl began their campaign in the AFC Champions League Elite with a win over their Uzbek hosts, Pakhtakor, in the match played at Jar Stadium in Tashkent.

Al Wasl started the game strongly right from the kickoff, with Adama Diallo almost opening the scoring in the second minute of the match, but the ball hit the bar. He also attempted with a header in the fifth minute, but luck wasn't on his favor.

Despite their dominance, Al Wasl were unlucky in their attempts to score against Pakhtakor in the first half.

In the second half, defender Soufiane Bouftini, scored the match's sole goal in the 65th minute, after receiving a corner kick from Nicolas Gimenez and heading the ball into Pakhtakor's net.

Al Wasl kept their pressure on Pakhtakor, who were in defense, in order to boost their score, but they were unlucky. The Emperor achieved their first victory in the tournament with a 1-0 win in the match.

On a related note, our coach Milos Milojevic said in the post-match press conference, "It was a good match; both teams played in the best way possible. We started the game well, and I believe we could have scored more goals. I’m happy with my players’ performance and securing three points, which is the most important thing for us."

In turn, the goal-scoring defender Soufiane Bouftini said, "We knew the match wouldn’t be easy because Pakhtakor has experience in this tournament. We went into the match with the goal of winning and ensuring we earn the three points".

He concluded by saying, "We tried to follow the coach's instructions as he asked us, and my teammates gave their best efforts, which helped us achieve this great result."