Two goals apiece for Vadim Afonin and Shakhboz Erkinov and one each from Predrag Vujovic, Igor Taran and Laziz Ubaydullaev proved more than enough for the Uzbek side.

The result repaired the damage of their opening Group B match, a 4-0 defeat by Al Qadsia two weeks ago.

For the visitors from Yemen, who replied through Murad Abdullah and Papy Ndombe Lukuku, it was a second successive loss that left them bottom of the table.

Shurtan dominated from the start but had to wait until the 41st minute for the opening goal of the game.

Ilnur Hazigaliev began the attack, playing in Alexander Merzlyakov, who sent a good cross into the penalty area where Afonin headed the ball into the net.

The crucial period of the game came at the start of the second half as Shurtan netted three goals in four minutes to ended Al Saqr’s hopes of a comeback.

First, in the 49th minute, Vujovic scored from a corner, then two minutes later Merzlyakov played in Taran who set Erkinov through one on one with the goalkeeper.

The striker made no mistake, comfortably finding the net for Shurtan’s third, and that swiftly became four.

Taran was the architect of the 53rd minute effort as he beat two men before passing to Afonin and he tucked the ball away into an empty net.

After the goal glut, the home fans only had to wait another 10 minutes to see their side score a fifth.

This time it was all Erkinov’s work as the forward jinked his way past three defenders in the area to grab his second.

With the game already won, Shurtan switched off at the back to allow Abdullah to pull one back for Al Saqr, but in the 77th minute Taran deservedly got on the scoresheet to restore the five-goal advantage.

A neat move involving Ubaydullaev and Erkinov ended with the striker making it 6-1, and two minutes later the hosts made it seven as Erkinov set up Ubaydullaev.

The final word went to the visitors as more poor defending allowed Congolese midfielder Ndombe Lukuku to score Al Saqr’s second, but it was unmistakably Shurtan’s day.