QSL side Lekhiwya grabbed a crucial point in their AFC Champions League clash with Saudi side Al Nassr.  Ibrahim Ghaleb’s 88^th minute penalty sealed a deserved share of the points for Nassr , as the tie finished 1-1 in the much anticipated Group B meeting on Wednesday.
 
Alain Dioko netted seven minutes into a first half dominated by last season’s Qatar Stars League champions but Ghaleb’s late equalizer from the spot ensured Raul Caneda’s side took a deserved share of the points.

The draw means Al Nassr are level with Iran’s Zobahan on five points from three games while Lekhwiya are still waiting for their first win of the 2016 campaign and are alongside Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor on two points.

Lekhwiya started well scoring after just seven minutes. Youseef Msakni’s well timed pass released Ismail Mohamad behind the Al Nassr defence and he squared the ball for Dioko to roll his shot into the goal.

Al Nassr’s Abdullah Al Enezi was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the first half and, soon after Dioko’s opener; he was forced to push Nam Tae-hee’s free kick to safety.

There was little he could do in the 28^th minute, however, when Nam and Dioko combined for the Congolese forward to head towards goal, only for the ball to clip the crossbar.

Lekhwiya continued to create chances, with Nam denied by Al Enezi after his shot on the turn and the Saudi goalkeeper kept out another attempt by the Korea Republic international soon after. Dioko, meanwhile, should have done better with his sliding effort that went the wrong side of the post.

Al Nassr created little in the opening 45 minutes with the only real threat on Amine Lacomte’s goal coming from midfielder Adrian Mierzejewski’s shot just after the half-hour mark. But that all changed in the second period.

Lacomte dived to his right to push away Modibo Maiga’s header four minutes after the restart and in the 66^th minute he palmed Omar Hawsawi’s header over the bar. Al Nassr continued to push for the equaliser with Lacomte again called into action in the 78^th minute with a fine save.


The Saudis finally claimed the equalizer their second-half display deserved when Ahmed Yasser was adjudged to have blocked Hawsawi’s goal-bound shot with his arm and Ghaleb struck decisively from the spot to keep Lekhwiya winless as the group stage reached the halfway stage.