Pakhtakor stuck with the lineup that secured the 1-0 win in the first leg, while Al Hilal rang in the changes, most notably with Mohamed Kanno partnering Ruben Neves and defender Hamad Al Yami.

Al Hilal pressed from the start, with Kanno, Neves and Malcom keeping Pakhtakor keeper Jhonatan under constant pressure.

A resilient Uzbekistan, however, meant Al Hilal had to wait till the 27th minute for their first meaningful chance with Marcos Leonardo collecting Al Yami’s cutback and firing a low drive on the turn, but Jhonatan reacted well to make the save.

Al Hilal’s relentless high-pressing game finally bore fruit in the 31st minute after Salem Al Dawsari drove the ball back to Kanno, who set up Al Yami beautifully for a diving header that sailed into the net.

The four-time Asian champions should have doubled their advantage four minutes later when Al Yami floated the ball into the path of  Moteb Al Harbi, whose powerful header was superbly saved by Jhonatan.

Al Hilal, however, were not to be denied their second and it was a beautiful team goal with Kanno making all the difference in the 42nd minute after the midfielder drove past the Pakhtakor midfield with authority, sending Malcom a delightful through ball with the Brazilian then finishing into the bottom right corner.

Pakhtakor gave Al Hilal a scare two minutes later when Khojiakbar Alijonov weaved his way inside the box before setting up Flamarion, whose left footed shot brought out an acrobatic save from Yassine Bounou.

Al Hilal, however, quickly put the brakes on Pakhtakor’s momentum when Al Dawsari was felled inside the six-yard-box with the captain calmly converting the spot-kick in the 51st minute, sending Jhonatan the wrong way.

A stung Pakhtakor almost conceded another in the 70th minute after Kaio Cesar set up Al Dawsari, whose shot was blocked by Jhonatan. Leonardo pounced on the rebound, but his close range finish was flagged offside. 

Substitute Nasser Al Dawsari etched his name on the scoresheet in stoppage time, finishing off Abdullah Al Hamddan’s layoff as Al Hilal comfortably confirmed their quarter-final spot.