Doha, Qatar: Al Gharafa returned to winning form with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the AFC Champions League Elite (West Zone) seventh-round clash at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium yesterday.

Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi struck the decisive goal in the 39th minute, giving The Cheetahs the edge in an engaging contest. Spanish forward Joselu nearly doubled the lead, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

With this win, Al Gharafa climbed to seven points from seven matches, securing their second victory of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Pakhtakor’s hopes took a major hit as they remained on four points with just one round left to play.

Al Gharafa nearly took the lead within the first minute when Joselu attempted a shot that sailed over the crossbar, following an excellent pass from Yacine Brahimi.

Just three minutes later, Matías Nani’s header, directed towards goal from a corner taken by Brahimi, was skillfully cleared in front of Pakhtakor’s net.

For most part of the match, the Tashkent-based team struggled to establish their rhythm, with Brahimi notably creating significant challenges for their defence.

In the 25th minute, the 34-year-old winger was thwarted by goalkeeper Jhonatan Luiz, who managed to deflect a shot aimed across the goal.

With just over six minutes left in the first half, the Algerian international successfully penetrated the visiting defense.

Brahimi surged through the centre of the Pakhtakor defence to receive a return pass from Joselu at the edge of the penalty area, subsequently assisting Sassi, who skillfully placed his shot past Luiz, striking the inside of the goalkeeper’s left post.

Al Gharafa appeared to have increased their advantage in the 64th minute when Brahimi once again pressurised Pakhtakor’s defence.

His pass set up Ahmed Al Ganehi, whose deflected cross was headed in by Joselu. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review.

With 10 minutes remaining, Moreira brought on Ulugbek Khoshimov, but like his teammates, he was unable to breach Al Gharafa’s defence, allowing the home side to secure the victory comfortably.

Pakhtakor will face Al Sadd from Qatar in Tashkent on February 17, while Al Gharafa will be away to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli.