Neftchi, Pakhtakor reach Uzbek Cup final

FootballAsia.com November 23 Neftchi of Ferghana will be looking to deny Pakhtakor a fifth consecutive Uzbek Cup victory after the two most successful sides in the country reached this year's final with semi-final wins against Bukhoro and Navbakhor. Pakhtakor, who recently captured the Uzbek league title for a fourth straight year, scored a 3-1 win in the second leg of their last four clash against Navbakhor for a 7-4 aggregate win. Turkmenistan international Gochguly Gochguliyev's own goal at the beginning of the first half gave Navbakhor hope but Timur Kopadze equalised before Renat Bayramov and Anvar Soliyev sealed victory for the Tashkent side. Meanwhile, Neftchi recovered from a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, trouncing Bukhoro 3-0 to advance to the final 3-1 on aggregate. The final at Tashkent's Pakhtakor Stadium on November 26 will be the fifth Uzbek Cup final meeting between the two teams. Neftchi beat Pakhtakor 5-4 on penalties in their first clash in 1996 but the capital side have won the subsequent three, 3-2 in 1997, 2-1 in 2001 and 6-3 in 2002. Having seen his side finish fifth in the league this season, the first time that they have finished outside the top two since the inauguration of the Uzbek Oliy Liga in 1992, Neftchi coach Yuriy Sarkisyan is eager for success in the Cup. "I'm really pleased to be there - we are happy to go to another final," said the veteran coach. "I think, we can still pick up silverware at the end of the season and qualify for the AFC Champions League as Uzbek Cup winners", he added. Uzbekistan Cup - semi-final results: Pakhtakor 3 Navbakhor 1 (Pakhtakor 7-4 on aggregate) Neftchi 3 Bukhoro 0 (Neftchi 3-1 on aggregate)