Group A
Esteghlal 3-0 Al Gharafa
Al Ahli 5-1 Al-Jazira

Al Gharafa couldn’t compete with Esteghlal today and went down 3-0 in the Azadi Stadium today. Esteghlal striker Farhad Majidi bagged himself two goals today. Majidi put the hosts ahead after a quarter of an hour before doubling their lead ten minutes after the break. Defender Pejman Montazeri then sealed the victory ten minutes from time.

In Group A’s other fixture, Al-Ahli, who so far have leaked five goals in their first two matches, turned things around against Al Jazira scoring 5 goals and winning 5-1. Ahli took the lead withing 2 minutes of the kick-off through Brazilian striker Victor Simoes and never looked back. Abdulrahim Jezawi scored two goals and the Saudi’s other Brazilian Marcinho also bagged a brace while Ivory Coast striker Toni Nantcho grabbed a consolation for Al-Jazira.

Group B
Zob Ahan 3 – 0 Bunyodkor
Al Wahda 0 – 2 Al Ittihad

Iranian side Zob Ahan stood out after their stunning 3-0 victory over Uzbek glamour side Bunyodkor.  The victory puts them on top of Group B. Two of Zob Ahan’s goals were stand-out with Mohammed Hosseini firing the hosts ahead before Mohammad Ghazi made it 2-0. Mohammad Khalatbari hit the last goal 10 minutes from time.

Former two-time champions and last year’s runners-up Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia picked up their first full points in this year’s competition with a 2-0 defeat of UAE’s Al Wahda.

The Jeddah giants were sitting with a loss and a draw so far in the competition, but goals from Abdulmalik Ziaya and Mohamed Nour helped them to their first win.

Group C
Pakhtakor Tashkent 2–1 Sepahan
Al-Ain 2-1 Al Shabab

An Alexander Geynrikh free kick gave Pakhtakor a deserved win over Iranian champions Sepahan and first place in Group Ch. Artur Geykorian’s low shot put the hosts in front five minutes before the break, only for Ahmad Jamshidian to head in an equaliser in first-half injury time. However, with 20 minutes remaining, Geynrikh swung in a free kick that beat several players before hitting the back of the net. Sepahan have had two draws and a defeat so far, making it difficult for them to progress past this stage.

Al Shabab came into their clash with Al-Ain with a number first team players unavailable and Jaime Pacheco’s side found themselves two down after 25 minutes. Former Flamengo striker Emerson but the hosts on their way 15 minutes in before Argentinian forward Jose Sand doubled their lead ten minutes later. Abdulaziz Bin Saran pulled a goal back for the White Lions but it wasn’t enough to save the 2006 quarter-finalists.

Group D
Al Sadd 4 – 1 Mes Kerman
Al Hilal 1 – 1 Al Ahli

Qatari giants Al Sadd showed Mes Kerman who’s the boss by beating them 4 – 1 whipping at the Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Strikes by in-form Brazilian Leandro, who neutralised Mes’ lead through Edinho, before adding another, this was followed by goals from Felipe Jorge and Talal Al Baloushi.

The contest was well over within the hour and Al Sadd are now a point removed from section leaders Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia to whom they lost in their opening match. Mes are stranded on three points.

The other group game between Al Hilal and Al Ahli ended in 1-1 draw. Al Hilal’s form has been such that they were tipped to destroy the visiting side by a huge margin.  But the Saudi champions from Riyadh wasted many opportunities even as Mohamed Al Mahyani put them ahead only for the lead to be cancelled by Hosni Abd Rabou’s stoppage-time heartbreaker.

Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdulla Yousif stood firm and guarded his net against numerous Al Hilal assaults and saw his heavily favoured rivals find the woodwork twice before half-time.

Group E

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3-1 Beijing Guoan
Kawasaki Frontale 4-0 Melbourne Victory

Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa recovered from a goal down at home to Chinese Super League outfit Beijing Guoan to eventually win 3-1 victory in the closing stages of the game. Maurice Ross gave Beijing an early lead but the hosts drew level through Song Ho-Young. Seongnam went ahead just three minutes from time through the Montenegro midfielder, Dzenan Radoncic, before Jo Jae-Chol wrapped up the points in injury time.

Kawasaki Frontale thrashed an uninspiring Melbourne Victory 4 – 0. After losses to Seongnam and Beijing, Kawasaki needed victory at home to the Australians and three goals within 20 minutes all but ended the game in the fist half.

Chong Tese, the North Korea international, struck three minutes in and the lead was doubled by Masaru Kurotsu eight minutes later. The former Santos player Renantinho made it three and game over just after the 20 minute mark.

Then on the 90th minute when captain Hiroyuki Taniguchi hit the fourth.

Group F
Changchun Yatai 1-2 Jeonbuk Motors
Kashima Antlers 5-0 Persipura

Lee Dong-gook broke Chinese hearts in the northern city of Changchun on Wednesday with a late winner that gives the South Korean champions a huge boost in their bid to reach the second round.

The hosts started well and controlled the first half. After 65 minutes substitute Du Zhenyu scored to put the hosts ahead. The game wasn’t over however, with 12 minutes remaining, Choi Yae-wook equalized from close range.  Heading for a draw, Lee bagged a priceless winner after good work from Seo Jung-jin.

As expected, the Japanese champions Kashima Antlers, beat group whipping boys Persipura 5-0 at the Kashima Soccer Stadium.

After last round’s 9-0 thrashing in China, the result is an improvement of sorts for the Indonesians. Two goals from Brazil’s Marquinhos and solitary strikes from Toru Araiba, Mitsuo Ogasawara and Yuya Osaka won the game for the J-League titans.

Group G
Singapore Armed Forces 2-4 Gamba Osaka
Henan Construction 0-2 Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Gamba Osaka were given a stern test against a determined Singapore Armed Forces but managed to win comfortably in the end 4-2. Shoki Hirai gave Osaka the lead within six minutes from the first whistle but Erwan Gunawan got the hosts level just after the half hour. After Hirai re-established a one-goal advantage after half-time, Singapore managed to peg the visitors back again, through the Sweden international Niklas Sandberg. However, Sota Nakazawa made it 3-2 with 19 minutes left on the clock before Hirai completed his treble with seven minutes to play. The result marked Gamba’s first win this year following two draws and they move onto five points. SAFFC stay bottom with just one point.

In the second Group G game, Brazilian Jose Mota scored twice as Suwon Samsung Bluewings overcame China’s Henan. The 30-year-old hit a second half double to put the K-League side back on top of the table. After three matches, Suwon sit on top with a two-point lead. Henan, with two draws and a loss, are only one point off the bottom.

Group H
Pohang Steelers 1-0 Shandong Luneng
Adelaide United 3-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Pohand Steelers squeezed past Shandong with a 1-0 win at the Steelyard. Most of the action came at the beginning and at the end of the match. After just five minutes, Noh Byung-joon smashed a free-kick high into the Chinese net.

Then with five minutes to go, Shandong were awarded a penalty after Kim Jung-kyum brought down Benson in the box. Shin Hwa-yong made a brilliant save to deny Deng Zhouxiang’s penalty and move Pohang clear in second place.

Adelaide United came from behind to defeat Sanfrecce Hiroshima to maintain their three from three perfect record in Group H and keep the Japanese team pointless. Hiroshima bounced back after going down early to a Travis Dodd goal and a red card for defender Ilian Stoyanov to equalize and then take the lead in the second half thanks to Kazuyaki Morisaki and Issei Takayanagi. Adelaide however hit back with two late goals from Robert Cornthwaite and Cassio which won them the game and gave them three points to keep them on top of the group.