In the 76th minute, Shahbazzadeh found the back of the net with a smashing volley into Sanjar Kuvvatov’s net.

Pakhtakor replied instantly, with a blistering attack that saw full-backs Farrukh Sayfiev and Khojiakbar Alijonov combine - the former crossed it and the latter produced a diving header while virtually unchallenged to make the score 1-1.

Deep into stoppage time, Shahbazadeh got his second of the night when he met Reza Mirzaei’s low cross, tapping it into the net and breathing life into Sepahan’s bid for progression to the Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League.

The final round of matches in Group D sees already-eliminated Pakhtakor take on hosts Al-Taawoun, while Sepahan will face Al-Duhail on Tuesday.