In the second season of the AFC Champions League 2026/27, Uzbekistan's team PFC Nasaf drew 0-0 with Bahrain's team Al-Khaldiya in the first match of Group A. The game took place on Wednesday at the National Stadium of Bahrain.
Neither team managed to score a goal. In addition to Nasaf and Al-Khaldiya, teams from the UAE, Al-Wahda, and Kuwait, Kuwait SC, also participate in Group A.
In the first half, both teams created dangerous moments. In the 14th minute, Domagoj Drozdjek took a shot from outside the penalty area, but the ball was easily collected by Nasaf's goalkeeper Abduvovkikhid Nematov after being deflected. In the 25th minute, Al-Khaldiya's goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Gharabli saved a long-range shot by Oibek Rustamov, diving and parrying the ball from the lower corner.
Shortly after, the home team launched a counterattack, but Walid Sabbar's shot did not pose a threat to Nasaf's goal. Before halftime, Akramjon Komilov delivered a cross from the left flank, and Bobir Abdikholikov directed the ball into the goal, but the attempt was too weak, and Al-Gharabli confidently dealt with it.
In the second half, Nematov saved Nasaf twice. In the 52nd minute, he stopped Osama Shili's shot at a sharp angle, and then parried another shot from Drozdjek. In the 71st minute, Drozdjek set up Saif Eddin Bugara for a shot, but he missed wide of the target. Al-Khaldiya continued to look for a scoring opportunity, but Nasaf's defense kept a clean sheet.
In stoppage time, Khaza Ali also failed to score. The match ended with a zero-zero score, and both teams earned one point.