The game looked to be heading for a goalless draw when Robert Akaruye scored from a free-kick in the 85th minute before Alisher Halikov fired home in stoppage time to secure a point.

The result means Neftchi are second in the standings with four points from three games while Busaiteen are top with seven points.

"We played much better than our opponents," said Sarkisyan. "We created a lot of chances but we did not convert them.

"We were unlucky when the referee awarded the visitors a dubious free-kick and we were unlucky when they scored from it.

"We were very close to losing this almost one-sided match. I thank my players who did not give up and especially Alisher Halikov who scored equaliser.

"We failed to beat the group leaders at home but we still hope to progress to the knock-out stage."

Meanwhile, Al Ahed eased to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Al Tilal in the other game in the group and coach Fouad Saad was pleased his side managed to overcome the defensive minded opponents.

“We knew before the game the result of the other game in the group (between Neftchi and Busaiteen) and this gave the players a big push to win the game.

"We went into the game with a strong formation but we were held by the defensive tactics of Al Tilal.

“We faced a defensive team who stopped us from scoring throughout the first hour before we managed to score in the remaining minutes.

"This was our third game in nine days and it is really hard for us especially because we are also competing in the local league.”

Al Tilal coach Sami Al Naash admitted his side had considered pulling out of the competition due to a number of problems prior to the game, but was pleased with the performance from his players despite the defeat.

“We went into the game with a number of bad problems locally which forced us to think of pulling out of the competition. The players had a good game and they gave a good performance," said Al Naash.

“I warned the players not to lose their concentration when they conceded a goal. The game should have ended in a draw but our players failed to hold on and they conceded three goals against a strong team.”