Both sides were not at full strength with Pakhtakor midfielder Sardor Sabirkhodjaev suspended while Al Hilal were without injured forward Aleksandar Mitrovic as the home side settled quicker in the freezing conditions at JAR Stadium.

Brayan Riascos, whose brace against Qatar’s Al Sadd SC on Matchday Eight of the League Stage helped seal Pakhtakor’s last 16 spot, produced a diving header in the eighth minute that was just wide of the post.

Al Hilal,  AFC Champions League™ semi-finalists last season, created their first opening in the 19th minute from a Kaio Cesar cross but Marcos Leonardo couldn’t get his header from point-blank range on target. 

Pakhtakor, deservingly, struck the opener in the 29th minute when Riascos found space on the right flank and delivered a low cross for Flamarion to steer home past Yassine Bounou with the Al Hilal defence caught ball watching.

Al Hilal tried to respond but lacked the edge that had made them so dominant in the League Stage as Pakhtakor went into the break with their noses in front.

The excellent Riascos was forced off with an injury before the hour mark, giving impetus to the visiting side with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic planting a firm header just over the bar in the 63rd minute as Al Hilal chased an equaliser.

Yet it was Pakhtakor who went close to doubling their lead seven minutes later, Diyor Kholmatov saw his initial effort blocked by a sprawling Bounou before his follow-up header was cleared on the line by an alert Mohammed Kanno.

A final opportunity for Al Hilal to rescue the game came five minutes before the end of regulation time, however, Abdullah Al Hamddan’s powerful strike was calmly claimed by Jhonatan as Pakhtakor take a slender advantage into the return leg.