With Pakhtakor already eliminated and Al Sadd already through to the next round, the two sides failed to serve up much of a spectacle at Pakhtakor Stadium.

The hosts took the lead through Stanislav Andreev's penalty just before the hour mark and looked to be on course for all three points until Madji Siddiq's late free-kick caught out substitute keeper Eldor Tadjibaev.

Khaydarov, though, was pleased with his side's attitude even though they had nothing to play for.

“I want to thank the fans who came to support us today. We tried to win today in honour of the club and for our fans. Maybe some did not like the game but I appreciate my players for their commitment,” he said.

“After we opened the scoring, our players became nervous. Meanwhile, Al Sadd made tactical changes after conceding a goal.

“Unfortunately, we conceded goal in the last minute and it's very disappointing.”

Young keeper Nikita Ribkin was forced off injured just before half-time following an earlier collision with an Al Sadd player as substitute stopper Tadjibaev took over the gloves.

Khaydarov, though, would not speculate on the seriousness of the injury.

“Ribkin suffered a knee injury in a collision with an opponent. He must be examined so that we understand how serious his injury is,” he added.

Despite a campaign that gleaned just five points and saw them finish bottom of the table, Khaydarov drew positives from Pakhtakor's Asian adventure.

“Results in the Champions League have been poor but for many players, this tournament has been an excellent education,” he said.

“In all the games we had chances to win but the players lacked experience. Twice we missed out on victory in the final minutes but even during this season you will see the progress of the young players.”

Al Sadd boss Jorge Fossati was also satisfied to see his players finish top of the pile and secure a home game with Saudi outfit Al Shabab in the last 16.

“We played a good game and I think we've reached our target,” he said.

“The referee, in my opinion, was wrong with the penalty decision. Congratulations to Pakhtakor for an excellent game. They were playing at full strength in a match that had no meaning for them.

“We were in a very strong group. All three opponents were among the favourites. However, we will continue to play better.”

“I would also note that the last matches should kick-off at same time. For example, between Iran and Uzbekistan there is not such a big time difference but right now our rivals are still playing knowing our result.”