Pakhtakor FC and Al Hilal SFC shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw in Matchday Four of the 2020 AFC Champions League Group B on Thursday, the official website of the Asian Football Confederation reported.

Chances came few and far between, as both sides took control for periods of the game without ever landing a knockout blow, with Odiljon Khamrobekov and Sebastian Giovinco coming closest to breaking the deadlock for each of their sides.

Pakhtakor recovered from the Matchday Three defeat to Al Hilal to salvage a point against the same opponents, staying three points behind them and well in contention for what would be their first Round-of-16 appearance since 2010.

“I have to praise my team, they got through two difficult games, performed well, and dominated parts of the game.

Each half was different, in the first half my team did well and controlled the ball but in the second half, it was the complete opposite. They looked like they got tired after a brief break in play and they wanted to get the point.

Al Hilal relied on zonal marking in the first half, which gave us the chance to attack.

But in the second half, I think my team started thinking of point calculations and of the next match against Shabab Al Ahli Dubai FC, which might have affected their performance,” said Pakhtakor head coach Shota Arveladze.

Al Hilal could seal qualification on Matchday Five with a win against Shahr Khodro FC, who have already been eliminated, while Pakhtakor are up for a difficult challenge against Shabab Al Ahli, who are just one point behind them with two games to go.