Perfection at the top, chaos below: ACL Elite reaches halfway

The AFC Champions League Elite league phase reached its halfway point this week, with the leading contenders beginning to separate themselves from the chasing pack, as the battle for progression to the knockout stage starts to take shape.

Only two sides have been able to retain their 100 percent record, with Al Ain claiming an impressive victory over Al Ittihad in Jeddah, while Vissel Kobe needed a late comeback to overcome Ratchaburi.

In behind them, in the West, the Saudi Pro League clubs enjoyed a welcome bounce, with Al Hilal returning to winning ways alongside emphatic victories for Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah.

In the East, questions over the commitment of the J1 clubs have resurfaced, with significant rotation and sparse attendances once again a feature of the round. While Vissel and Kashiwa Reysol secured home victories, all three travelling Japanese sides dropped points, headlined by Gamba Osaka’s six-goal thriller against Pohang Steelers.

With two matchdays to follow to close out the year, the developing picture of the top eight in each region may be beginning to crystallise, however there remains plenty of scope for movement. With that in mind, attention is increasingly turning towards those on the fringes and whether they can make the necessary inroads before the league phase draws to a close.

The Player

Matchweek Four brought a welcome shift in entertainment value, with goals aplenty flowing across the whole continent. Al Wasl’s 4-3 victory over Al Quwa Al Jawiya was among the early standout encounters, granting the Emirati side a much-needed first win of the campaign and a renewed opportunity to revive their knockout stage hopes.

At the heart of their success once again was Argentine-born UAE international Nico Gimenez, who had a hand in all four of Wasl’s goals. The archetypal number ten, Gimenez provided a measure of composure and quality in a contest that frequently threatened to descend into chaos, with both sides guilty of defensive lapses and stretched play.

He was instrumental in the opening breakthrough, sliding Mehdi Taremi through to score before the pair quickly combined again for the second, with the Persian striker winning a penalty, duly dispatched by Gimenez. The relationship between the two is becoming increasingly productive, echoing the early campaign success of another South American-Iranian partnership over in Dubai, between Guilherme Bala and Sardar Azmoun at Shabab Al Ahli.

Despite Al Quwa Al Jawiya capitalising on an error from goalkeeper Dinko Horkas before the break, Gimenez continued to dictate proceedings heading the other way. A perfectly weighted pass split the Iraqi defence for full-back Pedro Malheiro to run onto and score just before half-time. After the break, he was once again on hand to finish another Taremi contribution, completing a performance in which he could easily have added another assist or two to his tally.

Gimenez continues to grow into an increasingly influential figure, having contributed the fourth-most key passes in the competition to date, registering a round-high total this week. His rise domestically has also coincided with an increasingly important role in Zlatko Dalic’s developing UAE national team – following on from an impressive Gulf Cup campaign, the midfielder looks well placed to enjoy a prominent 2027, with the delayed Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia set to provide another potential stage for the playmaker.

The victory for Al Wasl offers a timely boost after a difficult start. Their defensive organisation remains questionable, but they are now within touching distance of the qualification places, with a game in hand against Al Nassr still to come. In Gimenez, they have the creative quality to unlock most defences, and an increasingly effective partnership with Taremi gives them reason to believe they can potentially outscore their way into contention.

The Team

Another side to finally put their difficult start behind them was Port FC, who produced the highest-scoring victory of the round, beating Beijing Guoan 7-4 in Bangkok.

For all the remarkable attacking output, their first win of the campaign owed something to fortune, with an early second-half dismissal for Beijing helping turn the contest in their favour. The first half had offered another reminder of Port’s defensive shortcomings, but the response after the break was emphatic.

There is little point dwelling too long on goalkeeper Michael Falkesgaard’s struggles or the repeated, frustrating attempts to play out from their own penalty area, which contributed to conceding four before the interval. The more encouraging story was at the other end, where all seven goals came from Thai attacking players, at a time when the AFC’s foreign-player rule changes have prompted concerns over the growing reliance on overseas imports among Southeast Asian clubs.

Jude Soonsup-Bell led the way, scoring twice in the first half with two different examples of predatory finishing, while Teerasak Poeiphimai added his own double from the bench late on. Both represent the next generation of Thai striking talent, having already made their mark in separate Southeast Asian international competitions over recent months.

Yet even two braces that would have ordinarily taken top billing were overshadowed by the performance of captain Bordin Phala. His exceptional hat-trick featured a flying volley from outside the area in the first period, before a thunderous effort arrowed into the top corner and a curling finish from out wide in the second half. Any one of the three would have been a contender for goal of the round; together, they made for a remarkable individual display.

It was a timely reminder of Bordin’s continued value, and not only for Port, with his form providing a compelling argument for a return to the national team for the first time since early 2024.

His club side will take mixed lessons from their first Champions League victory in five years. Only Newcastle Jets have conceded more goals in the competition, and their defensive display against Beijing will do little to reassure their supporters. In a campaign that had threatened to drift away from them, confidence, however, can be a powerful thing, and scoring seven goals in a Champions League match is a decent place to start rebuilding it.

With little expected of them and three Japanese opponents still to face in their final four matches, the task remains steep. A more adventurous, attack-minded approach, however, might offer Port their best chance of making an unlikely late push.

The Talking Point

Expectations were high for Uzbek clubs ahead of the new AFC Champions League Elite season, following an encouraging start to the campaign from the country’s Super League sides. At the halfway point, however, the picture is one of frustration as much as promise, with both Neftchi and Pakhtakor still within reach of the top eight but struggling to turn competitive performances into the results their campaigns require.

On paper, their positions remain respectable, with Neftchi trailing the final qualification places by a single point, and Pakhtakor one win behind. Given Neftchi’s return to the competition after 25 years away, under a fledgling coach, and Pakhtakor’s continued evolution amid financial instability, there is an argument that both have already exceeded expectations. Look beyond the table, though, and a familiar set of frustrations begin to emerge.

Neftchi started brightly, with a historic home victory over Al Quwa Al Jawiya underlining their return to the continental stage. Defeats to Al Nassr and Al Ittihad, followed by a draw against ten-man Tractor, have since left a bitter taste. They came close to turning the tide in Riyadh, narrowing the deficit to 2-1 early in the second half, but could not build on their momentum. Against Al Ittihad, a leading position slipped away, while this week’s meeting with Tractor brought another late setback, conceding an equaliser after regaining the lead in the closing stages.

The manner of that late goal was particularly frustrating, with two Neftchi players effectively out of action tending to one another for cramp, allowing the Iranians to capitalise in the space provided. It was another illustration of the inexperience that still lingers within a side that remains Uzbekistan’s best bet for success.

Pakhtakor’s campaign has been rather more erratic. Impressive opening draws against Al Ahli in Jeddah and Al Qadsiah at home offered a platform from which to build, but a toothless defeat to Al Quwa Al Jawiya and a defensive collapse in conceding six against Al Nassr have brought the mood back down to earth.

The underlying issue feels familiar, given the recent struggles of Uzbek sides in Asia: an ability to produce an impressive individual performance or result, undermined by a lack of confidence and game management when matches reach decisive moments. Late goals have repeatedly turned promising positions into disappointing outcomes, despite both sides often looking competitive for long periods. Their coaches have acknowledged the problem, as have those who came before them. For Neftchi’s Islom Ismoilov, changing that perception is central to his project, although the first signs of progress remain tentative.

Overseas recruitment was supposed to help bridge some of those gaps. Neftchi, in particular, invested heavily in Brazilian duo Michel Augusto and Yan Sasse, alongside former English Premier League striker Marcus Forss. Whilst none are eligible for the domestic Super League, where Neftchi continue to lead the way, all three have become problematic anchors to Ismoilov in their continental starting line-up. The individual quality is apparent, but the cohesion has been less convincing, with the recruits yet to consistently gel with the teammates around them.

Concessions can be made given the fixture list. Both Uzbek sides will have to contend with all five Saudi representatives during the league phase, while Iranian clubs Esteghlal and Tractor avoid them entirely because of the tournament’s pot restrictions. It is a significant imbalance, but one that only goes so far in explaining their current positions. In almost every match, both sides have enjoyed periods when they could have taken control, only to be undone by lapses in concentration or confidence.

With a difficult end of the year schedule ahead, balancing the Super League title run in and Champions League commitments, few would currently back them to progress out of the league phase, yet the opportunity remains. If Neftchi and Pakhtakor can finally translate their competitive performances into greater composure at decisive moments, an Uzbek presence in the knockout stages is still within reach.