Piroozi beat Al Ittihad 3-2 to end the Saudi Arabian team’s unbeaten record in the 2011 AFC Champions League and boost their own flagging hopes of place in the knockout stages.

Hamidreza Aliasgari stuck in the 14th minute before a second goal from Shpejtim Arifi two minutes later was cancelled out by Mohammed Al Rashed’s firm header in the first-half.

Aliasgari extended Piroozi’s lead in the 69th minute before the visitors pulled one back through a stoppage-time own goal from Sekou Berthe.

Piroozi came close to taking the lead after four minutes through Arifi. The striker latched onto a cross from the right but could not force the ball home.

Aliasgari then gave Piroozi a deserved lead in the 14th minute.

Nuno Assis tackled the ball backwards into his side’s penalty box and Aliasgari pounced on it to fire home even though Mabrouk Zaid got his fingers to the ball.

It took only two minutes for Arifi to extend the lead.

Aliasgari was the provider this time as he collected a long pass from Maziar Zare and flicked it to the unmarked Arifi to make it 2-0.

The Saudi Arabian side pulled a goal back after 19 minutes as Al Rashed met Paulo Jorge’s free-kick from the right, powering home a header to halve the deficit.

Arifi could have eased the pressure with a third just before the half-hour mark as Zaid punched Mohammad Nori’s corner from the left straight into his path, but he fired wide.

Nori then missed a chance of his own in first-half stoppage time as Piroozi pressed for a third.

The game became cagier after the restart with chances at a premium.

When an opportunity did come, Hossein Badamaki fired a left-footed effort wide of the post, and Mojtaba Shiri headed off target soon after.

Piroozi grabbed a third in the 69th minute. Hadi Norouzi crossed low into the penalty area and after neither Arifi nor Assis could get a touch, the lively Aliasgari beat the Al Ittihad keeper to score.

An own goal from Piroozi defender Berthe in added time was not enough for the visitors to prevent Piroozi from taking all three points.

Assis curled a dangerous free-kick across the box and Berthe inadvertently headed into his own net.

Bunyodkor moved to within touching distance of the last 16 in the 2011 AFC Champions League as Milos Trifunovic’s double saw the Uzbeks edge out Al Wahda 3-2 in an entertaining clash at the JAR Stadium.

Ismaeil Matar had given the visitors a shock second-minute lead but Trifunovic levelled nine minutes later before giving Bunyodkor a half-time lead.

Hugo equalised from the spot early in the second-half for Al Wahda but Anvarjon Soliev’s header six minutes from time sealed the points for Mirjalal Kasimov’s side.

Both teams came into the game looking for a win that would see them move into prime position to claim one of the two knockout berths from Group C and it was Al Wahda who struck first with a clinical goal after just two minutes.

Matar’s neat flick played in Mohamed Al Sheshi and he squared the ball back for the striker to calmly sidefoot past keeper Ignatiy Nesterov from 10 yards.

Anvar Rajabov then wasted a good chance when he scuffed a shot at the back post after Sasa Dordevic’s cross had found its way through to the forward before Bunyodkor equalised in the 11th minute.

Skipper Victor Karpenko forged down the left and although his wicked low cross went straight through the legs of Kamoliddin Murzoev, Trifunovic was on hand to slide home at the far post.

Hugo fired just wide from 25 yards five minutes later before Al Wahda thought they had gone in front for a second time from a corner but Nesterov just managed to keep the ball from crossing the line.

Bunyodkor then took the lead 10 minutes before the interval.

A short corner between Karpenko and Hayrulla Karimov saw the former whip in a cross and Trifunovic rose between Haider Ali and Al Shehhi to nod the ball past keeper Mutaz Abdulla.

Nesterov did well to claw away Fahed Masoud’s deflected shot on the line before Bunyodkor almost added a third when Rajabov brought the ball down in the box and Murzoev nicked it off his team-mate’s foot before stabbing a shot against the underside of the bar.

As half-time approached, Azizbek Haydarov outmuscled an Al Wahda defender down the left and played a one-two with Trifunovic but was unfortunate to see his low shot from the edge of the box strike the foot of the post with Abdulla stranded.

Al Wahda were then gifted a way back into the game in the 53rd minute when Matar’s free-kick from just outside the area struck a hand in the Bunyodkor wall and a penalty was awarded. Hugo coolly rolled the spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Jovlon Ibrokhimov fired over from 10 yards following Abdulla’s poor punch and at the other end, Hugo let fly from 30 yards with a fierce shot that flashed just past Nesterov’s post.

Tirfunovic then drew a low save out of Abdulla and Magrao did the same with Nesterov before Bunyodkor struck six minutes from time.

Islom Inomov’s measured ball into the box picked out the forward and he out-jumped an Al Wahda defender to head home as Abdulla could not keep it out despite getting a hand to the ball.

Bunyodkor landed a decisive blow in the battle for Group C in the 2011 AFC Champions League after downing Piroozi 3-1 at the Azadi Stadium.

Anvar Rajabov put Bunyodkor in front with a thunderous finish on the hour mark before Hayrulla Karimov’s penalty nine minutes later, after substitute Alireza Mohamed had been sent off for hauling down Rajabov, doubled their advantage.

A horrible defensive mix-up allowed Shpejtim Arifi to pull a goal back with four minutes to go before keeper Ignatiy Nesterov pulled off a brilliant save to deny the same player in istoppage time. Bunyodkor immediately launched a counter-attack and Victor Karpenko scored the third goal.

Saman Aghazamani headed off the line following a corner after 21 minutes and Piroozi had a good chance four minutes from the break when a cross from deep was flicked on to Hadi Norozi. The forward held the ball up before laying it off to Mohammad Nori but he dragged a left-foot shot just beyond the far post.

Only a desperate last-ditch challenge prevented Kamoliddin Murzoev from adding a second before Bunyodkor did extend their lead in the 69th minute.

Azizbek Haydarov’s pass set Rajabov free down the left and as he drove into the box, the forward was pulled back by Mohamed, who was sent-off.

Haghighi managed to get his fingers to Karimov’s penalty and push it onto the post but unfortunately for the Piroozi keeper, it came back off his head and into the net.

Another forceful Rajabov run ended with the striker flashing a shot just wide as the Piroozi defence backed off before Haghighi saved Sasa Dordovic’s header.

Bunyodkor then gifted Piroozi a way back into the game with four minutes to go. An innocuous ball trickling towards the Uzbeks’ goal posed no threat but a communication mix-up between Nesterov and his defender allowed Arifi to slide in and score.

His anger was exacerbated seconds later when Bunyodkor immediately launched a counter-attack and with players queuing up to score, Karpenko calmly applied the finish.

Al Ittihad became the first side to book their place in the last 16 of the 2011 AFC Champions League as a goalless draw with Al Wahda at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium gave them the point they needed to ensure they can finish no lower than second in Group C.

The result means the Saudis retain top spot with ten points, five points ahead of closest challengers Bunyodkor following the Uzbeks’ shock 3-1 win over Piroozi in Tehran. Al Wahda move ahead of the Iranians in third on three points with two matches left to play.

Saleh Al Saqri had the game’s first chance after just four minutes when he pounced on a loose ball inside the box and fired a fierce drive that Al Wahda keeper Mutaz Abdulla did well to beat away.

Abdelmalik Ziaya then headed Mohammed Noor’s cross over the bar at the far post nine minutes later before Al Wahda striker Ismaeil Matar shot from distance in the 26th minute but keeper Mabrouk Zaid gathered easily.

The second-half followed a similar pattern to the first in that Al Ittihad controlled proceedings but could not break down the resilient visitors.

Ziaya almost sneaked through in the 66th minute but Abdulla did enough to thwart the forward while at the other end, Hugo drove forward and unleashed a fierce strike from distance that flashed just past Zaid’s post.

Mohamed Al Shehhi led a rare foray forward for Al Wahda in the 77th minute when he cut inside a defender but his low shot was well held by Zaid.

Bunyodkor 0-0 Piroozi
Bunyodkor and Piroozi did nothing to help their 2011 AFC Champions League cause after the two teams played out a tepid goalless draw at JAR Stadium.

In a game devoid of any clear cut chances, the best fell to Kamoliddin Murzoev after just seven minutes but the forward was unable to capitalise.

Bunyodkor will in all likelihood feel the more aggrieved of the two sides having also had a goal disallowed in the second-half, while Piroozi will be relatively satisfied with a point although they will need to win the return in Tehran in two weeks’ time to maintain their hopes of progressing to the last 16 from Group C.

Overall it was a poor match with neither side able to maintain any decent possession and the ball spending the majority of the game bouncing around in the middle of the pitch while a total lack of quality in the final third meant opportunities were scarce at best.

Indeed, perhaps the clearest sight of goal fell to Murzoev seven minutes into the contest when a terrible clearance by the Piroozi defence fell into the striker’s path just outside the six-yard box but he swung his left foot wildly at the ball and slashed it high and wide.

Askar Jadigerov managed to get on the end of Sakhob Juraev’s cross just before the half-hour mark and at full stretch stuck out a boot to turn the ball goalwards but Piroozi keeper Alireza Haghihi comfortably pushed it behind for a corner.

The second-half made for equally bleak viewing although Bunyodkor thought they had broken the deadlock in the 66th minute.

Anvar Rajabov’s determined run down the right saw him skip a challenge but his cross was deflected towards the Piroozi goal.

Murzoev out-jumped Haghihi and managed to flick the ball back across goal towards substitute Yannis Mandzukas, who headed into an empty net. The goal was disallowed though, presumably for offside although it was unclear as to who the actual culprit was.

Rajabov’s cross from the left then almost sneaked in at the back post shortly afterwards in what proved to be the closest either side came to scoring in the final 20 minutes.

Bunyodkor 0-1 Al Ittihad
Al Ittihad won a hard fought victory to beat Bunyodkor 1 – 0 in their Group C clash of the AFC Champions League.

Bunyodkor made the first chance for the game after eight minutes when an unmarked Victor Karpenko volleyed wide from within the box.

Bunyodkor looked more threatening early on, and Shavkat Salamov wasted a good opportunity in the 25th minute when, with time and space in the penalty area, he chested down a cross but scuffed his shot.

Al Ittihad started to get more threatening as the game wore on. A Mohammed Al Rashid’s side-foot volley from close range over the bar on the half-hour mark was well saved by Bunyodkor’s keeper Ignatiy Nesterov.

It was not long before the visitors broke the deadlock as, with Al Harbi out-jumping Jadigerov to meet a clipped cross at the back post and head past Nesterov.

Karpenko had another sight of goal six minutes before the break when Kamoliddin Murzoev’s cross made its way through to the midfielder but his weak shot was gathered by keeper Mabrouk Zaid.

Bunyodkor continued it search for an equaliser in the second half with Karpenko firing closely at the 63rd minute mark. Zaid had to scramble across his goal to make the save. Moments later Sasa Dordevic wasted a glorious chance. Zaid came for a free-kick but only succeeded in knocking the ball down to the Serbian in the box but he shot wide with the Al Ittihad keeper out of position and two defenders on the line.

Zaid made amends for his blunder with quarter of an hour to go when Soliev met a cross at the back post but the custodian was able to push his powerful close range header over the bar. He then managed to turn Salomov’s corner over with the midfielder almost scoring direct from a set-piece.

The Saudis, though, were able to stand firm and repel the hosts over the closing minutes.

Piroozi 1-1 Al Wahda
Al Wahda earned another AFC Champions League point after drawing with Piroozi 1-1.

The result means Al Wahda remain unbeaten, with two draws so far, while Piroozi are off the mark with their first point in Group C.

Piroozi had their first chance in the 15th minute when Gholam Reza Rezaei’s cross was met by Hadi Noroozi’s close-range header but goalkeeper Ali Al Hosani was alert and prevented the goal.

Al Wahda’s Hugo was also in on the act with some threatening play at the other end shortly after when he collected a pass near the edge of the penalty area and struck a shot which took a deflection and was gathered by Rahman Ahmadi.

Nourmohammadi almost scored for Piroozi moments before the first half had ended with a powerful header via Gholam Reza Rezaei’s free-kick.

Al Wahda went ahead shortly after the break when Ameen received a pass inside the penalty area and produced a superb finish, finding the top corner beyond the reach of Ahmadi. They almost doubled their lead shortly after when Ismail Matar met a long kick forward from Al Hosani but fired wide.

Piroozi found the equaliser when Hadi Noroozi fed the ball to Mohammad Nouri and he picked out unmarked midfielder Hossein Badamaki to score.

Al Wahda 1-1 Bunyodkor
Two late goals lit up the Group C match between UAE Pro League champions Al Wahda and Uzbekistan champions Bunyodkor as their AFC Champions League encounter ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the game seemingly heading to a goalless conclusion, Bunyodkor substitute Murzoev Kamoliddin – on the pitch for just two minutes – set up Azizbek Haydarov to give the visitors an 84th minute lead that looked to have snatched the points.

However Hugo (Hugo Henrique Assis do Nascimento), a 63rd minute substitute for hosts Al Wahda, had other ideas and equalised with three minutes remaining to share the points and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

With the UAE Pro League title definitely not remaining with Al Wahda, success in the 2011 AFC Champions League is now the priority and Josef Hickesberger’s side managed to salvage a point against the Uzbeks despite missing a few opportunities.

Al Wahda served notice of their intentions early when Fernando Baiano let fly from the top of the box but Ignatiy Nesterov had no problem collecting the ball.

Seven minutes later the ball ricocheted off the Brazilian to Ismail Matar and the UAE star did well to beat a few defenders but his final effort was inches away from the far corner.

Bunyodkor, playing their first official match since their domestic season ended in October, looked rusty and it was not until the 21st minute that they threatened but Viktor Karpenko’s effort missed the target.

The best move of the match came in the 23rd minute when Baiano moved the ball out to Mohammad Al Shehhi on the right and the latter found Matar who in turn fed an advancing Mahmoud Khamis down the left. However Mahmoud’s effort was weak and straight at Nesterov, allowing the Bunyodkor keeper to save with ease.

Al Wahda finished the first period with another wasted chance, this time Al Shehhi and Baiano combining but the latter could not extend Nesterov.

Soon after the break Haider Allo thwarted Karpenko’s effort and at the other end, Baiano headed wide over the bar.

Both Mirdjalal Kasimov and Hickesberger rung the changes but the game appeared to be fizzling out into a goalless stalemate until the late fireworks that ended with Al Wahda snatching a draw.

Al Ittihad 3-1 Piroozi
Abdelmalek Ziaya struck twice as Al Ittihad began their 2011 AFC Champions League assault with an impressive 3-1 win over Piroozi at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

The striker opened the scoring for the two-time ACL champions in the Group C clash after 14 minutes with an exquisite finish before Maziar Zare’s deflected free-kick put the Iranians back on level terms.

However, Mohammed Noor’s penalty one minute after the interval re-established the home side’s lead and Ziaya rounded off a deserved victory with a close-range tap-in with quarter of an hour remaining.

The Algerian striker served notice he would need close attention after just five minutes when he met Noor’s deep cross with a powerful header on the edge of the area that Piroozi keeper Ahmad Rahman did brilliantly to tip onto the crossbar.

However, Ziaya broke the deadlock when he raced clear of the visiting defence before curling a sublime finish into the top corner.

Piroozi were level just six minutes later, however, thanks to a huge slice of fortune. Zare struck a fierce free-kick from distance that took a telling deflection off an Al Ittihad defender before ending up in the back of the net via the inside of the post with keeper Mabrouk Zaid left flat-footed on his line.

Paulo Jorge fired a dead ball into Rahman’s hands and Ziaya sliced wide following good link-up play with Mohammad Al Rashed as the half ended all square.

Al Ittihad came out roaring at the start of the second period and came close to retaking the lead within seconds of the restart only for Ziaya to see his dink over Rahman cleared off the line after the Piroozi keeper had managed to get a hand on the ball.

The Saudis were not to be denied and in the 49th minute went in front for a second time.

Nuno Assis latched onto a defence-splitting pass but was taken out in the box by the onrushing Rahman. Noor calmly sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot.

Rahman had to be alert to smother Assis’ shot two minutes later after the midfielder broke the offside trap with a run from deep and Saud Khariri tested the keeper with a close-range poke before sidefooting weakly in the 55th minute.

Rahman stood up well to block Ziaya’s finish after Al Ittihad carved Piroozi apart in the 70th minute but five minutes later, the striker had his second.

Substiute Rashad Al Raheb beat Sepehr Heydari with ease inside the area and his low centre across the six-yard box was tapped in at the back post by Ziaya.

Zaid flapped at a corner with eight minutes to go but Zare scuffed wide and Hamad Al Montishari headed Jorge’s cross against the outside of the far post as Al Ittihad made an impressive start to their continental campaign.

Today we move on to Group C of the AFC Asian Champions League 2011.

Group C is made up of the following teams:

• AL ITTIHAD (KSA)
• AL WAHDA (UAE)
• BUNYODKOR (UZB)
• PIROOZI ATHLETIC (IRN)

Al Ittihad
Currently sitting in 2nd position domestically (mid way through the 2010/11 season), Al Ittihad is having a strong season with 8 wins, no loses and 9 draws. In their 2010 AFC Champions League appearance, Al Ittihad had a mixed experience, winning 2 matches, drawing 2 and losing 2. They missed out on a round of 16 game and will be hoping to do better, although their Group C opponents are just as tough this year, so it will not be easy.

Al Wahda
Sitting mid table in the domestic UAE Football League, Al Wahda has had 5 wins, 3 draws and 4 loses so far. Their 2010 appearance in AFC Asian Champions League was a complete failure finishing last with 1 win and 5 loses. This year’s campaign will not be any easier and with a mixed domestic season it will be hard going to progress past the group stage.

Bunyodkor
2010 champions of the Uzbekistan Professional Football League, Bunyodkor are Uzbeckistan’s most successful club. In last year’s AFC Champions League they made it to second in Group B behind Zobahan with 3 wins, 2 loses and 1 draw. In the round of 16 they where thrashed 3 – 0 by Al Hilal, a very disappointing result. I would expect them to progress this year but with the long layoff it might be a struggle in the initial games.

Piroozi Athletic (Persepolis)
Persepolis are currently sitting mid table in the domestic Persian League with 10 wins, 4 draws and 8 loses. It hasn’t been their best season by far.  No 2010 appearance in the AFC Champions League, their last appearance was in 2009 where they progressed past the Group stage to be stopped at the round of 16. This is a very tough group with no real leader based on domestic results so far. There is a great opportunity for them here to make up for a lackluster domestic season.

Al-Ain 2–0 Sepahan

Ghalenoei knew victory against Al-Ain at the Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium in UAE would guarantee a second round appearance. Unfortunately for the Yellows, a 2-0 loss left them crossing their fingers and watching events elsewhere – events that would ultimately go against them.

A brace from Argentinian international Jose Sand was enough to give all three points to the home side, who ended their campaign with a little pride, and condemned their opponents to early elimination. The former River man grabbed the first from the spot a couple of minutes before the break and his second with 20 minutes left.

Al Shabab 2–1 Pakhtakor Tashkent

With Pakhtakor sitting atop Group C on 9 points and Shabab just behind them, both sides were well aware a victory for third place Sepahan would mean one of them would crash out tonight. “I will try a completely different strategy from the one used against Al Ittihad,” said Al Shabab coach Edgar Parreira in his pre-match press conference. Whatever it was, it worked.

Shabab went a goal behind courtesy of a Sherzod Karimov strike after half an hour, but the visitors struggled after Aleksander Kletskov received his marching orders five minutes later. The home side’s pressure eventually told when Tarik El Taib equalised from the penalty spot shortly after the hour mark, leaving Angolan international Flavio to grab a later winner to send his side through to the second round.

Group G

Gamba Osaka 2-1 Suwon Samsung Bluewings

A last minute strike by Takashi Usami, assured Gamba Osaka first place in Group G.

Gamba started the game in second position, 2 points behind Suwon, who had also yet to lose a game.

Suwon scored first in the 58th minute through Jose Mota, his fifth goal of the competition.

However, the Koreans were pegged back only three minutes later by Takahiro Futagawa.

Scores remained at 1-1 until injury time when the 17-year-old Usami netted the winner.

Gamba now lead the group with 1 point and play their final group game away to Henan. Suwon host Singapore Armed Forces in a game they will be expected to win convincingly.

Singapore Armed Forces 2-1 Henan Construction

Singapore Armed Forces won their first AFC Champions League game last night, beating Henan Construction by 2 – 1. This leaves the Chinese Super League side propping up the table with one match remaining.

Daniel Bennett’s 66th minute strike was equalised by Le Yu six minutes later but Erwan Gunawan Suherman assured Singapore’s first win with 12 minutes to go.

Group H

Pohang Steelers 0-0 Adelaide United

Pohang Steelers and Adelaide United have both progressed through to the next round at the expense of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shandong Luneng, by sharing the points with a 0 – 0 draw.

Adelaide lead by goal difference and host Shandong on matchday 6. Pohnag are away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Shandong Luneng 2-3 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

A thrilling second-half, which saw four goals scored, left Sanfrecce Hiroshima the eventual winner but it was all in vain as Adelaide and Pohang secured the top two spots in the group.

Shandong took the lead through a Peng Han penalty on the 45 minute mark before Koji Morisaki levelled for Sanfrecce in the 75th minute. Sanfrecce made it 2 – 1 five minutes later thanks to Tadanari Lee but Shandong battled back to level five minutes from time thanks to Fred Benson. Lee was to have the last say though as he scored on the stroke of full time.

Group C

Pakhtakor Tashkent 3-2 Al-Ain

Pakhtakor needed a win over Al-Ain of UAE to all but guarantee their qualification to the second round. It didn’t however start that favourably when Jorge Valdivia gave Al Ain the lead after just three minutes with a trademark free kick.

Odil Ahmedov was left unmarked to head home an equaliser for Pakhtakor just six minutes later. Three minutes later Ahmedov put Pakhtakor ahead with an excellent finish. A frantic opening 20 minutes to the second half ended with an equaliser via an own goal from Ilhomjon Suyunov. Ahmedov then completed the scoring, and his hat-trick, on 28 minutes from close range.

Sepahan 1-0 Al Shabab

Iran’s Sepahan knew a win was needed to stay alive in Group C, while a victory for Shabab would see them seal their path into the second round.

It was the home side who grabbed the only goal of the game to bag three vital points. Midfielder Ahmad Jamshidian’s tenth minute strike was enough to take Sepahan to the verge of qualification.

Group D

Al Ahli 2-1 Mes Kerman

Five time UAE League champions Al Ahli have endured a pretty miserable ACL campaign so far this season. Their victory over Mes Kerman probably won’t be enough to take them into the second round, although mathematical they still have hope.

Things started well for the home side when Farzad Hosseinkhani put through his own net to gift the Dubai based club the lead after just three minutes. Mehdi Rajabzadeh’s 75th minute equaliser looked to have condemned Al Ahli to elimination, but Ahmad Khalil’s 83rd minute penalty leaves them with a slim chance of second round qualification going into their final group game with Al Sadd on matchday 6.

Al Hilal 0-0 Al Sadd

Al Hilal lead group D with ten points from four games and a win would be enough to see them progress to the next round.

Despite the home side being unable to break down the 11-time Qatari League champions, the goalless draw confirmed Hilal’s qualification for the second round while Sadd know that a home win over Al Ahli on matchday 6 will be enough to secure their progression.

With all games in Match Day 4 of the AFC Champions League completed, two more teams have confirming their places in the Round of 16.

Seongnam Ilhwa made it four in a row in Group E to go through while Suwon Bluewings made sure of their advance in Group G.

Group A

Esteghlal, of Iran, drew 1-1 away to Qatar’s Al Gharafa and Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli scored a 2-0 away win over Al Jazira.

Younis Mahmoud gave Gharafa a 1-0 lead before the interval but Mehdi Salehi equalised for the visitors on 58 minutes.

Brazilian striker Victor was the hero for Ahli. He scored a goal in each half with Jazira down to 10 men following the second-half sending off of midfielder Sultan Al Menhali.

Group C

Sepahan have put themselves back into contention for a round of 16 place after their 2-0 home victory over Pakhtakor while Shabab beat Al Ain 3-2 at home.

Ibrahima Toure and Mohsen Bengar scoring within the last 17 minutes to earn victory for Sepahan.

Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Camacho rounded off a stirring comeback by Shabab with his late winner against Al Ain. Flavio gave Shabab the lead after 11 minutes before Jose Sand and an own goal from defender Masead Nada handed the visitors the lead on 60 minutes.

Camacho then set up Flavio for the equaliser before finishing it off himself with seven minutes remaining.

Group E

Korea Republic’s Seongnam have earned a place in the next round after their 1-0 away victory over China’s Beijing Guoan.

Melbourne Victory won for the first time after three straight defeats, beating Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 at home.

Mauricio Molina scored with 15 minutes remaining for Seongnam. Whilst in the other game Kevin Muscat scored a penalty to breath some life into Melbourne’s campaign.

Group G

Suwon Bluewings have also progressed into the last 16 with a 2-0 home victory over China’s Henan Jianye.

Gamba Osaka beat Singapore Armed Forces 3-0 at home to boost their chances.

Jose Mota followed up his two goals against Henan from last week with an early strike on Wednesday with Kim Dae-ui adding the second.

Goals from defender Michihiro Yasuda, Shoki Hirai, and substitute Ze Carlos gave Gamba an easy win.

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.

Quick summary of the results from the remainder of the Matchday 1 games played overnight in Asia’s premier club competition – Asian Champions League.

Group C

Al-Ain 0–1 Pakhtakor Tashkent
Al Shabab 1-1 Sepahan

Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan grabbed their first win over Al-Ain of the UAE  with a goal from Artur Gevorkyan right on the hour mark.

Saudi club Al Shabab hosted Sepahan from Iran. Their opening game ended 1 -1 after Sultan’s 70th minute equaliser cancelled out Hosseini’s first-half opener.

Group D

Al-Sadd 0-3 Al Hilal
Mes Krman 4–2 Al-Ahli

Saudi reigning champions Al Hilal made the right start with a thumping of Qatar champions Al Sadd in Doha. Yasser Al-Qahtani grabbed a brace before Brazilian Thiago Neves secured a comprehensive victory in the final minute.

Mes Krman celebrated their ACL debut with a 4-2 victory over Dubai based giants Al-Ahli. Krman got thier first goal on the 20 minute mark when Mostafa Sayfi put the hosts ahead. Goals followed from Salem Khamis and Mehrzad Madanchi either side of the break sealing off a great victory.  With 15 minutes remaining the home side clicked back into gear as Mehdi Rajabzadeh grabbed a brace before Ali Samereh put the icing on the cake with seconds remaining.

Group G

Suwon S.B 0–0 Gamba Osaka
Henan Siwu 0–0 Singapore Armed Forces

A very fry goal session for Group G overnight with no goals being recorded in the opening round. Gamba missed several chances with Hideo Hashimoto hitting the woodwork though former Paris St.Germain forward Reinaldo missed a golden opportunity for the Bluewings. Chinese side Henan Jianye were making their debut in the competition and won’t be too disappointed with a point against Richard Bok’s much improved Singapore Armed Forces.

Group H

Adelaide United 1-0 Pohang Steelers
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-1 Shandong Luneng

Adelaide United kicked off their ACL campaign with a tough win at home over reigning champions Pohang Steelers. The only goal of the game came just before half time from Matthew Leckie’s lucky strike. The 19-year-old latched onto a clearance from a Pohang corner and ran the length of the field before Park Hee-Chul deflected an attempted clearance back off the forward’s shin and past a despairing Shin Hwa-Yong in the Steelers goal.

Three-time Chinese champions Shandong Luneng left Sanfrecce’s Hiroshima Big Arch Stadium with Chinese international Han Peng grabbing the game’s only goal 15 minutes from time.

Group C is made up of the following ACL teams.

Al Ain (UAE) – Al Ain FC is by far the most successful club in the UAE and among the best in Asia. Appearances in previous championships have yielded the following results. 2002-03 – Champion, 2004 – Quarter-Finals, 2005 – Finalist, 2006 – Quarter-Finals, 2007 – Group Stage. Al Ain is another serious contender.
Sepahan (IRN) – They have the strongest squad among four Iranian teams, and they do have a big chance of qualifying to the knock-out stage along with possibly Pakhtakor. Sepahan finished a strong 3rd in Group D last year.
Al Shabab (KSA) – Previous competition results include group stage in 2005, quarter finalists in 2006, group stage again in 2007, and round of 16 in 2009.
Pakhtakor (UZB) – a consistent performer in reaching the ACL championship. They first progressed past the Group stage in 2009 reaching teh Qtr finals for the first time.

Group C March Day 1 features:
AL AIN (UAE) vs PAKHTAKOR (UZB) – Pakhtakor are liley to score an away win in match day 1, with their strong performance domestically this year they are in fine form.
AL SHABAB (KSA) vs SEPAHAN (IRN) – This looks like a very even match-up and I would expect a draw in this game.

The Iranian champions came back from two goals down to return with a point and deny Al Jazira a first win in the tournament in the final Group C match that did not have any bearing on the result after Saudi champions Al Ittihad and Umm Salal of Qatar had already progressed into the last 16.

“We tried out our reserve players and they did a good job for us,” said Braga.

“I think the 2-2 draw was a fair result. Esteghlal had taller players and they used the long ball to good effect. We did well to score two goals with a line up that was playing for the first time as a team. So I can’t get disappointed.

Ali Ahmed opened the scoring in the 49th minute and the substitute Mohsin Al Meharram doubled the lead in the 70th minute.

Esteghlal reduced the deficit when Frahad Majidi’s rocket from 30 yards deflected off Ali Alizadeh 11 minutes from time and Hadi Shakouri struck the equaliser six minutes later to level the scores.

“My players didn’t give up until the end and they were rewarded for that,” said Ghalenoei.

“We were a bit unlucky, as it has been for us in the entire tournament. We had three or four scoring opportunities before Al Jazira scored.

Naif Hazazi netted a hat-trick as Al Ittihad secured top spot in Group C in emphatic style with a 7-0 demolition of Umm Salal at the Prince Abdullah Stadium.

The win ensured the Jeddah side of a home match in the last 16 against the runners-up of Group B while Umm Salal will visit the winners of Group A.

The hosts went ahead after nine minute when the Umm Salal defence failed to deal with Osama Al Harbi’s long throw-in, which was flicked into the heart of the box where Renato lashed the ball past a helpless Baba Malick from close range.

Renato proved a constant thorn in the side of the Umm Salal defence throughout the evening and set up his side’s second in the 17th minute with a cross from the left into the six-yard box that picked out an unmarked Hazizi, who scored with a half-volley.

The Brazilian also set up the third in the 25th minute, controlling the ball on the edge of the box and eluding a couple of half-hearted challenges before feeding Hazizi, who stretched to fire a right-footed shot past Malick.

Al Ittihad should have made it 4-0 in the 41st minute when a Mohammed Noor corner was flicked on to a completely unmarked Abdulaziz Al Sibyani but Malek made a save to deny the striker at point blank range.

Umm Salal rarely threatened and their best opportunity fell to Fabio Cesar who fired a free-kick wide in the 43rd minute.

Hazizi completed his hat-trick seven minutes after the interval when he rose high above the Umm Salal defence to meet Renato’s cross from the left and sent a towering header into the net.

Al Saqri made it 5-0 with a deflected shot in the 56th minute that wrong-footed Malick and Al Meshal was on hand in the 77th minute to tuck away the loose ball after Malick could only parry a Renato effort from the edge of the box.

The Brazilian capped a magnificent personal performance with five minutes remaining when he capitalised on poor defending by Walid Dorzadeh to poke home his side’s seventh goal.

Al Ittihad and Umm Salal have confirmed their spot in the last 16 of the Asian Champions League.

The 2004 and 2005 Asian Champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Esteghlal in Tehran but it was enough to progress.

Hicham Aboucherouane gave the Saudi Arabians what looked to be the winner ten minutes from time.

With just two minutes remaining, however, Ali Alizadeh equalised for the hosts to give them a draw and another point.

Umm Salal fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Al Jazira and seal their progression to the last 16.

The UAE team needed the win to stay in the race and looked odds on to do so.

Rozario opened the scoring for Al Jazira midway through the first half while fellow Brazilian Baiano made it two seven minutes later.

The fightback was lead by Bahrain striker Ala’a Hubail who scored twice within 11 minutes to draw the game.

Source: www.the-afc.com

Umm Salal became the second Qatari side to deal a blow to Iranian hopes of ACL success when they held Esteghlal to a 1-1 draw but coach Gerard Gili admitted they were fortunate to come away unbeaten.

The draw at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, which comes a day after Al Gharafa thrashed Piroozi 5-1, all but extinguishes Esteghlal’s hopes of reaching the last 16 and means a similar result in either of Umm Salal’s final two matches will see them progress.

Arash Borhani, the leading scorer in the Iranian league, broke the deadlock just before half-time but Esteghlal were pegged back when Saoud Ghanem equalised with 20 minutes left.

“We just need one more point to qualify and I’m hopeful to get it in our remaining two matches,” continued Gili, who was Ivory Coast’s assistant coach during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

His counterpart, the beleaguered Amir Ghalenoei, said the result was harsh on his team but that they were ultimately to blame for it.

“We didn’t play badly and we didn’t deserve to draw, (but) we made schoolboy errors,” he said.

Ghalenoei, who has seen Esteghlal’s chances of winning the Iranian title go from odds on to odds against in the last month, blamed the defeat on off-the-pitch problems.

“We’ve had a lot of problems in the last 40 days and this is not Esteghlal’s greatest period,” he added.

Esteghlal now need to win both remaining matches and hope that the teams above them slip up to have any chance of making the knock-out stages.

Ghalenoei said another reason for their poor form is a lack of experience.

“Esteghlal have been away from the AFC Champions League for six or seven years and so we don’t have much experience at this level,” he said.

Source: www.the-afc.com

Al Ittihad coach Gabriel Calderon slammed his players on Wednesday after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Jazira of the UAE at Prince Abdullah Stadium saying that the result was barely deserved.

“My team’s performance was extremely bad and they did not deserve the draw. A fair result would have been a win for Al Jazira who played very well,” said the Argentine.

The two-time AFC Champions League winners took the lead five minutes before the break through Osama Al Harbi but Al Jazira took control after the break and got a deserved equaliser with 20 minutes remaining when Fernando Baiano blasted home from a tight angle.

The draw saw the Tigers move to the top of Group C with eight points while Al Jazira are third with only three.

“It was a good result for us to come up with one point if you look at the team’s performance,” continued Calderon.

“We were lucky to score in the first half and Al Jazira did very well after the break when they put us under pressure.

Calderon felt that his team’s busy finish to the season was one of the main factors for their disappointing performance.

“In the next few days, we will play one match every five days, I know it will be so difficult for players to do better but we have to accept this situation.

“Our next games in the AFC Champions League are very important and so are our matches in the Saudi King’s Cup.

Al Jazira still have much work to do if they hope to qualify for the knockout stage but coach Abel Braga was pleased with the good away result.

“We earned one point from Estghlal in Tehran and another one point here so I think my team did a great job,” he said.

“They have many options on their front line and that helped them to take the lead. They had four players creating scoring chances and that made it difficult for us.

“In the second half we were able to stop their threats and took control of possession.”

Braga still believes that his team can make up the deficit on the front-runners in the group.