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PFC Nasaf suffered a 2–1 home defeat to UAE club Al Wahda in Karshi on October 14, squandering a penalty, striking the crossbar and a post in the closing minutes, and ultimately falling short of a comeback in their second Group A fixture of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two.
Argentine forward Facundo Kruspzky was the difference-maker, scoring both of Al Wahda’s goals before halftime to give the visitors their second consecutive win and a perfect six points. Nasaf remain third in the group on one point.
Penalty miss sets the tone
Nasaf made a bright start, with Adenis Shala forcing Al Wahda goalkeeper Facundo Lirussi into an early save with a low shot in the fourth minute. At the other end, Nasaf goalkeeper Abduvokhid Nematov denied former Belgium international Christian Benteke from close range to keep the match level.
Al Wahda broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Kruspzky found space on the edge of the penalty area and fired past Nematov. Nasaf had the chance to respond in the 38th minute after Al Wahda defender Amenallah El Majhed handled the ball in the area, but Nematov’s spot kick was saved — Lirussi diving to his left to guess correctly.
The reprieve was immediate and damaging. A minute after the missed penalty, Kruspzky collected a through ball from Gnezda Cerin and struck from around 18 yards, sending the ball into the bottom-left corner to double the visitors’ advantage before the break.
Second-half fightback falls short
Nasaf reduced the deficit just two minutes after the restart. Sardorbek Bakhromov struck a powerful shot from around 20 yards that deflected off substitute Bobur Abdikholikov, wrong-footing Lirussi and bouncing into the bottom-right corner.
The goal lifted the hosts and they created a series of chances to level. Their clearest opportunity came in the 79th minute when Abdikholikov headed wide of the left post with only the goalkeeper to beat. Nasaf continued to press in the final stages: Paata Ghudushauri struck the crossbar in the 86th minute, and Diyorbek Abdunazarov hit the right post a minute later. Neither effort found the net, and Al Wahda held on.
Nasaf’s next group-stage fixture is at home against Kuwait’s Al Kuwait on October 28. The AFC Champions League Two is the continent’s second-tier club competition, with 32 teams split across eight groups; the top two in each group advance to the knockout stage.