“We played well and created several chances, but we encountered some unfortunate situations, in addition to several difficulties in dealing with offensive attempts, most notably the tight defensive closure of the Uzbek team,” said Biscan.

“The difficulty was the pitch, which affected the players' offensive performance. However, overall, I am satisfied with the draw away from home, and I will work to achieve victory in the next round.

“The players gave a good technical performance and deserved more than a draw, given the chances the team created.”

One of the factors for Al Ahli’s improved second half performance was the introduction of 32-year-old Julian Draxler after the hour mark, with the former Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder orchestrating play.

Biscan explained that Draxler was on the bench because of injury concerns.

“Draxler participated in the second half due to some pain following the team's league match against Al Shahania, and I did not want to risk him from the start for fear of a recurrence of the injury.”

Al Ahli will look to register their first win when they face FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan October 22.