Second-half strikes by young defender Aldbulghafoor Murad and substitute Ahmed Alaa Tuesday helped Al Rayyan to a 2-0 win over Emirates at Al Rayyan Stadium, a result that ended the UAE side’s hopes of reaching the last 16 of the 2011 AFC Champions League.

Emirates needed to beat the hosts and hope Zob Ahan could do them a favour against Al Shabab in Iran but two goals in the final quarter of an hour put paid to their aspirations.

Al Rayyan – who fielded a side missing several first-team regulars – finished their campaign on a high note in a game of few chances and gained a measure of revenge for the defeat in the UAE earlier in the competition.

The match got off to a cagey start with neither of the two teams managing to take control in the opening 10 minutes.

However two minutes later, Al Rayyan managed to bring the match to life when they hit the woodwork following a slick move that saw Abdulrehman Tariq pick out his fellow striker Mohamed Salah inside the box but Salah’s header hit the crossbar and bounced back without causing any damage.

Emirates then forced two corners but failed to find their way through the Al Rayyan defence until Hamad Salem produced a header that just flew wide of the post with the home goalkeeper Oumar Barry beaten as the first period ended goalless.

Nine minutes into the second-half, defender Ali weaved his way past three Emirates players before his effort on goal was kept out by Jumaa in the Emirates’ net.

In a similar move in the 65th minute, Emirates midfielder Amer Deeb took the Al Rayyan defenders by surprise with a solo run that saw him close in on goal before firing a powerful effort just wide.

However, 10 minutes later Al Rayyan broke the deadlock through Murad when he deftly headed home a long-range free-kick into the back of the net.

Al Rayyan maintained their slender one-goal lead until added time when substitute Alaa dribbled past two Emirates defenders before slipping the ball past Jumaa to put the result beyond any doubt.

Al Shabab took the upper hand in the battle for second place in Group D of the 2011 AFC Champions League as Nassir Al Shamrani’s crucial goal 14 minutes from time was enough to see off Al Rayyan 1-0 at King Fahd International Stadium.

In a largely uneventful game, the forward broke the deadlock in the 76th minute when he met Camacho’s excellent cross to head home from close range.

Despite turning in an average performance, Al Shabab still dominated much of the match and Al Shamrani should have put his side in front when Camacho released him down the left side of the box but as he bore down on goal, keeper Oumar Barry stood up well to deny his effort from close range.

Barry palmed away another attempt shortly afterwards before Camacho extended the Al Rayyan stopper but he was up to the task.

The second-half proved only marginally more entertaining than the first. Fisal Al Sultan saw an incisive run halted just outside the box but Camacho curled the resultant free-kick wide of the far post.

The Brazilian came much closer to breaking the deadlock in the 57th minute when he was allowed the freedom in the box to collect Al Shamrani’s pass but his precise left-foot shot smacked the post and Zaid Al Mowalad’s follow-up could not beat Barry.

Al Shamrani led a counter-attack in the 73rd minute but after driving into the box from the left flank, Barry was able to fall comfortably on his low shot and the danger passed.

It proved a momentary respite, though, as the Al Shabab striker gave his side the lead in the 76th minute.

Camacho must take most of the credit as he drove to the byline and with the ball seemingly set to roll out of play, somehow wrapped his foot around it to stand up a cross towards the back post and Al Shamrani leapt highest to head home inside the six-yard box.

Mohammad Ghazi’s goal 10 minutes from the end of the game gave Zob Ahan a 1-0 win away at Emirates and clinched top spot in Group D of the 2011 AFC Champions League.

Last year’s runners-up recorded their fourth win in five group games, while Emirates’ chances of advancing to the next round suffered a severe blow.

Emirates, second behind Zob Ahan and looking to make it a third consecutive win at home, were without star striker Nabil Daoudi while key defenders Hadef Saif Al Zaabi and Mustafa Al Saedi sat out due to suspension.

The Iranian side started brightly and in the second minute Mohammad Khalatbari pulled wide but then shot straight at Ahmed Al Zaabi in the Emirates goal.

The hosts had their first chance when Jordanian Amer Deeb was fouled by Farshid Kouhi and from the resulting free-kick, Karim Kerkar saw his effort just miss the mark.

The Zob Ahan forwards displayed a lot of pace but Emirates managed to stave off the attacks. In the 15th minute, Zob Ahan defender Seyyed Farimani advanced into the Emirates half but his powerful shot was saved by Al Zaabi.

Though Zob Ahan saw more of the ball, the UAE second division side did not bow down and four minutes later Deeb crossed into the box but before Hadj Bougueche could reach for a header, Shahab Gordan plucked the ball out of the air.

Zob Ahan again came close as Ghasem Hadadifar set off on a fine run after snatching the ball from an Emirates forward before sending in a cross towards Ghazi that was intercepted by Al Zaabi.

The best move for Emirates came in the 32nd minute when Adnan Al Balooshi passed to Hareb Al Madhawi and he found Kerkar inside the box but the latter shot just wide.

Kerkar and Deeb had two more efforts before the break while at the other end, Igor Castro also missed a chance to leave the teams locked at 0-0 at half time.

Four minutes after the break Al Zaabi did very well to tip over a dipping shot from Hossein Mahini from well outside the box while in the 56th minute, Emirates had another escape as a powerful effort from Hadadifar flew just over the bar.

Adnan Al Balooshi, who impressed with his runs down the flank, wasted a great chance for Emirates in the 62nd minute by shooting wide when well placed, then only a minute later Mahdi Rajabzadeh’s free-kick was well saved by Al Zaabi.

The visitors looked more purposeful in the second-half while Emirates began to launch counter-attacks and Castro could have done better with a weak attempt following a goalmouth scramble in the 67th minute. Two minutes later Ghazi’s volley was saved by Al Zaabi

Emirates midfielder Abdulla Al Balooshi cleared an effort off the line in the 78th minute before Zob Ahan finally struck two minutes later. Castro slipped the ball to the right and Ghazi made no mistake, his left-footed effort beating the advancing Al Zaabi.

Emirates threw everyone into attack in the final minutes and Kerkar’s corner almost found its way into the net before it was headed away by a Zob Ahan defender.

Deeb’s shot hit a defender while in stoppage time Kerkar’s free-kick again missed the mark as Zob Ahan held on for victory.

A solitary goal from Esmaeil Farhadi gave Zob Ahan a 1-0 win over Al Rayyan at the Foolad Shahr Stadium to send last season’s runners-up top of 2011 AFC Champions League Group D and on the verge of a place in the last 16.

The hosts’ first chance was fired over the bar by Igor Castro in the 11th minute and home keeper Shahab Gordan denied Al Rayyan an opener three minutes later. Rodrigo Tabata fired a free-kick into Zob Ahan’s six-yard box which eluded his team-mates but looked set to curl straight in only for Gordan to react well and keep out his effort.

Zob Ahan started to take control of the game and Igor Castro set up Mehdi Rajabzadeh, whose side-footed strike flew wide, before Mahini’s long-range effort was gathered by Soud Al Hajiri in the Rayyan goal.

Their efforts were rewarded a minute later when Mahini ran onto a long ball and dummied a defender before setting up Farhadi, who fired past the keeper into the far corner.

Zob Ahan picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, Jalal Rafkhaei’s shot unsuccessful before defender Mohammad Hosseini tested Al Hajiri, who turned the ball away for a corner.

But Gordan had to be alert at the other end to kick away a dangerous cross from before an Al Rayyan attacker could get a touch.

Rodrigo’s effort from the edge of the box was gathered by Gordan as the away side pressed for an equaliser, and Zob Ahan failed to make the game safe when Al Hajiri raced out to intercept Farhadi’s through ball.

Rodrigo saw another long-range effort deflected over before Al Hajiri kept out Khalatbari’s free-kick.

Emirates stunned Al Shabab and blew Group D of the 2011 AFC Champions League wide open with a 2-1 victory at Emirates Club Stadium.

Hadj Bougueche scored twice as the second-tier UAE club recorded their second victory in this season’s competition to move ahead of Al Shabab – who beat them 4-1 two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia – and into second the table to give themselves every chance of reaching the last 16.

Substitute Abdulaziz Saran pulled a goal back just before the interval before both sides were reduced to 10 men with 15 minutes to go when the striker and Mustafa Saaed saw red amid some disgraceful scenes.

Emirates were without Nabil Daoudi as the talismanic striker started on the bench and Al Shabab had a great chance to land an early blow but Nassir Al Shamrani was unable to control a cross as the ball bounced up and hit him in the chest and ended up in keeper Ahmed Al Shaji’s hands.

Camacho showed nice feet but again fired straight at Al Shaji before Emirates took the lead in the 25th minute. Amer Deeb embarked on a driving run before feeding Bougueche on the left side of the box with a perfectly-weighted pass and his clinical finish was too good for Abdullah.

Emirates then doubled their lead five minutes from half-time. Kerkar swung in a corner from the right towards the near post and Bougueche emerged from a group of Al Shabab defenders to claim the final touch as the ball ended up in the back of the net, although replays suggest it may have come off an Al Shabab defender.

The visitors pulled a goal back a minute before the break in fortuitous fashion when Camacho’s shot hit Saran and then fell into his path, allowing the forward to slot home.

Al Shabab dominated almost the entire second-half but could not make the breakthrough they needed.

Al Shabab 4-1 Emirates
Alhassane Keita scored two goals to help Al Shabab overrun Emirates 4-1 in Group D clash of the 2011 AFC Champions League.

The home side were stunned after just five minutes when Emirates took the lead. The UAE outfit won possession on the right and Hadj Bougueche crossed towards Daoudi. The Moroccan striker showed good strength to hold off Walid Abdrabh before turning and firing past keeper Waleed Abdulla.

Al Shabab came desperately close to an equaliser just after the half-hour mark when Hassan Muath got inside the Emirates left-back and punched the ball across the six-yard box where it clipped Al Shamrani and went wide of the goals.

A corner from the right in stoppage time was knocked back into the danger zone and Keita was on hand to hook the ball into the net from close in.

The second half started with an early goal by Al Shabab to take the lead. Zaid Al Mowalad’s made a run down the left ended and sent in a cross towards the six yard box. Keita leapt highest to direct a downward header into the back of the net that left Al Shaji with no chance.

Muath made it three – nil in the 74th minute when he controlled Keita’s cross near the penalty spot and found the bottom corner.

Then it was Shuhail who grabbed the fourth with five minutes to go when Camacho’s exquisite pass picked out the defender’s run and he took the ball in his stride before slipping it past the advancing Al Shaji.

Al Rayyan 1-3 Zobahan
Iranian giants Zob Ahan overpowered 10-man Al Rayyan 3-1 to go top of 2011 AFC Champions League Group D.

Following a cagey opening, Al Rayyan skipper Fabio Cesar found national team colleague Al Marri but the latter shot straight into the hands of Zob Ahan goalkeeper Shahab Gordan.

A few minutes later, Zob Ahan’s Mohammed Hoseini saw a powerful effort from close range blocked by Al Rayyan’s Korean defender Cho Yong-hyung. It resulted in a corner and the opening goal as Khalatbari’s kick caught the wind and was carried directly into the Al Rayyan net.

The lead did not last long for the visitors as Al Rayyan’s Cesar curled in a fierce free-kick which rebounded off the post for an unmarked Al Marri to pounce and hammer the loose ball past the helpless Gordan.

Zob Ahan went two – one up when a nice shot was met by a weak punch from keeper Soud Abdulla and Igor Castro, unmarked five yards out, steered the ball into the top corner.

However, Al Rayyan suffered a further setback in the 59th minute when they went down to 10 men due to a sudden rush of blood by Itamar who in a fit of anger stamped on Farhadi.

The resulting free game Zobahan the opportunity to take a shot from 30 yards out, which whistled past Abdulla and into the roof of the net to make it three.

Emirates 2-0 Al Rayyan
Emirates claimed their first victory for the tournament pushing them into 2nd position in Group D. The final result was Emirates 2-0 Al Rayyan.

Emirates have had a tough month with no home wins for over a month but were quickly on course to end that wait when Daoudi fired them ahead after four minutes.

Emirates went on the attack very early in the game with their Jordan international Amer Deeb before Daoudi raced onto a long ball, which bounced off defender Cho Yong-hyung, and into his path to allow him to give his side a shock lead.

Al Rayyan took some time to find their first real attacking moment with Rodrigo Tabata testing Ahmed Ibrahim from outside the box but the Emirate’s keeper was up to the task.

Ibrahim made a timely intervention after 21 minutes when he cleared a dipping cross from Jaralla Ali Al Marri before Itamar could get his head to the ball.

Al Rayyan were starting to pile on the pressure and Emirates looked likely to again relinquish an advantage but they rode their lukc and consolidated their lead with Al Zaabi’s timely 23rd minute header. Amer Deeb swung in a cross that the defender headed home via a deflection to give his side a two-goal cushion.

After the break the Al Rayyan’s players started to show their frustration as they racked up the yellow cards and the game became a bit scrappy.

Amer Deeb should have made it 3-0 but his powerful attempt forced a brilliant save from Alhajri.

A foul by Itamar on Hadj Bougueche earned him a caution and from the resultant free-kick Alhajri again saved Karkar’s attempt.

Al Rayyan came close to scoring with a Fabio Cesar free-kick which thumped against the crossbar and bounced out before his solo run ended with a wayward finish.

Late in the game Alhajri again saved a Karkar free-kick and Al Rayyan had their goalkeeper to thank again when he twice saved attempts by Bougueche and substitute Faisal Ali to avoid a bigger defeat.

Al Shabab 0-0 Zob Ahan

Al Shabab and Zob Ahan settled for a goalless draw over night in their Group D clash. The result means Zob Ahan now top Group D on four points.

Last year’s AFC Champions League finalists almost took an instant lead when Mohammmad Reza Khaletbari saw his spectacular overhead kick from the edge of the box whistle just past Waleed Abdullah’s post.

Ghasem Hadadifar then drew a fine save out of the Al Shabab keeper when his dipping strike was turned over by Abdullah at full stretch after 15 minutes.

It took 27 minutes for Al Shabab to have their first real shot on goal when Abdulaziz Saran fired wide from a tight angle.

The second half didn’t start any differently to the first with Zob Ahan enjoying more possession but with no great luck to take a lead.

Seyed Hosseini saw a neat back-header from a free-kick on the left narrowly clear the crossbar in the 63rd minute and two minutes later, Igor Castro spurned a good opening when he directed a powerful header from eight yards out down into the turf and Abdullah was able to claw the ball away.

Al Shabab substitute Alhassane Keita tested Shahab Gordan with a shot from range that the Zob Ahan keeper collected at the second attempt in the 80th minute before skipper Marcelo Taveres saw a powerful header flash the wrong side of the Zob Ahan keeper’s near post with five minutes remaining as both sides settled for the draw.

Al Rayyan 1-1 Al Shabab
Al Shabab came from a goal down to hold Al Rayyan at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium as Nasser Al Shamrani’s second-half header clinched a 1-1 draw.

Last year’s AFC Champions League semi-finalists fell behind in the 33rd minute when Brazilian striker Itamar converted from the spot,

But Al Shamrani pounced just before the hour mark to ensure a share of the spoils for the Saudis.

In a Group D clash played in chilly conditions, both teams wasted little time in seeking the early momentum.

In the fifth minute, the local fans gave former Al Rayyan player Marcelo Tavares a tough reception when he headed away a looping shot from Fabio Cesar near the goaline.

Itamar then wasted a good chance to give Al Rayyan an early lead after nine minutes when midfielder Rodrigo Tabata provided a perfect pass but the 30-year-old, who played for four different Korean clubs, failed to tap in barely three yards from goal with keeper Waleed Abdullah left helpless.

Al Rayyan skipper Fabio Cesar nearly produced an exquisite opener on the half-hour mark but his left-footed effort from near the penalty spot was just the wrong side of the post with Al Shabab keeper Abdullah well beaten.

The home side did take the lead three minutes later, though, when Al Shabab midfielder Ali Atif tripped Hamid Ismael inside the box and referee Yuichi Nishimura wasted little time in pointing to the spot.

Itamar, who had not been at his sharpest up until then, coolly beat Abdullah from 12 yards to give Al Rayyan a half-time lead.

Shabab defender Hassan Muath called Saoud Abdulla into action six minutes into the second-half but the Al Rayyan keeper tipped his shot over the bar.

Abdulla did excellently once again in the 54th minute to preserve his side’s advantage when he managed to stop defender Zaid Almowalad’s ferocious shot, although he needed medical attention shortly afterwards.

The visitors finally got back on level terms in the 59th minute when Al Shamrani found the back of Al Rayyan net. Almowalad delivered from the far side and the striker’s diving header proved good enough to beat Abdulla.

Al Shabab almost grabbed a winner with 14 minutes to go but Abdulaziz Saran saw his header bounce back off the bar as both sides were forced to settle for a point apiece. 

Zob Ahan 2-1 Emirates
Zob Ahan battled back from a goal down to a record a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Emirates at Foolad Shahr Stadium on Wednesday.

In a first half of few scoring opportunities, the visitors took a shock lead six minutes before the break through Nabil Daoudi.

It did not last long though as Seyed Mohammad Hosseini equalised just before half time and Igor Castro sealed Zob Ahan’s victory with a 55th minute goal.

Zob Ahan’s Shahab Gordon was the first of either keeper to be called into action when he did well to get a hand to Daoudi’s low shot with less than five minutes gone.

But after that there were few noteworthy opportunities as play was largely contested in midfield with the few forays forward from either side well dealt with by the respective defence.

It looked as though the first half was to come to a goalless conclusion but the visitors stunned their opponents in the 39th minute when they took the lead.

A long ball from Emirates’ own half over the top had the defence beaten and Gordan misjudged his attempted save, missing the ball completely to allow Daoudi to race on and finish from a tight angle.

But the lead did not last long as another goalkeeping error presented Zob Ahan with the leveller when Ahmad Ibrahim failed to catch a long throw from the right and Hosseini was on hand to nod into the empty net.

The hosts then went ahead 10 minutes into the second half when Ibrahim was unable to hold onto a Shahin Kheiri free-kick and succeeded in only pushing the ball into the path of Igor Castro, who had raced forward to pounce on the ball and stab home.

The pace of the game slowed down after that, though Emirates attempted to respond in the 69th minute when they were awarded a free-kick in a promising position but Karim Kerkar’s dipping effort was straight at Gordan.

Zob Ahan controlled possession for the remaining minutes and had a chance to add third in the last five minutes when Mohammad Reza Khalatbari – who had had a largely quiet game – struck a well-hit effort that Ibrahim got down to save well.

There was a scare for the Iranians though just before full time when Emirates enjoyed a spell of pressure but Zob Ahan held on to ensure their bid for the title got off to a winning start.

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

Group D is made up of the following teams:

• AL RAYYAN (QAT)
• AL SHABAB (KSA)
• EMIRATES (UAE)
• ZOBAHAN (IRN)

Al Rayyan
A new comer to the AFC Champions League. Al Rayyan is sitting mid table in the Qatar Stars League with 6 wins, 3 loses and 4 draws so far. This looks like their first ever appearance in the AFC Champions League and it could be a rude awakening to the competitiveness of the competition for them. This will be one of the hardest groups in the western half of the competition. Being their first try I can’t see them progressing past the Group stage.

Al Shabab
Sitting 3rd at the moment in the Zain Saudi Professional League with 9 wins, 4 draws and 3 loses, Al Shabab are having a good 2010/11 season. Last year Al Shabab topped Group C in the AFC Champions League with 3 wins and where knocked out in the Quarter Finals 1 – 0 by Jeonbuk. Al Shabab will be a favourite with Group D this year and their strong domestic season will give them the confidence to make it through the groups stage.

Emirates
Another new comer to the AFC Champions League. Emirates Club qualified by winning the 2010 Etisalat Super Cup 3 – 1 against Al Wahda. Given their lack of domestic credibility (not competing in the Pro League) I can’t see them offering much in terms of competition particularly with the likes of Al Shabab and Zobahan.

Zobahan
Along with Al habab, Zobahan are favourites for this group and with their leading position in the domestic Persian Championship this team will be hard to beat. Leading the domestic competition with 13 wins the only issue I see for them is game fatigue. In last year’s AFC Champions League they finished 2nd losing the final to Korea’s Seongnam. Zobahan is one of the most successful west asian teams and will do really well again this year.

Mes Kerman 3–1 Al Hilal

Iranian side Mes Kerman have have lost all three away games this ACL season. However, their home form has been great. With Hilal already qualified as group winners, Mes seemed certain to take all three points, they would just have to hope that was enough.

Brazilian Edinho got Mes off to the perfect start just two minutes in, racing down the left before driving a low strike across Hilal ‘keeper Al Daeyea. The lead was however surrendered just six minutes after the restart with a close range shot from Al Fraidi. Mes reclaimed the lead through Paulo Zaltron, with 12 minutes remaining before Mahdi Rajabzadeh confirmed all three points in stoppage time.

Al-Sadd 2–2 Al-Ahli

Al-Sadd needed a victory to progress into the next round. Having won the earlier clash 5 – 0 they were confident of a victory. However things didn’t start well for the hosts as Bare grabbed a surprise opener 13 minutes in.  The hosts reacted well to the early setback and were in the lead seven minutes later. Felipe, a Brazilian of their own, equalised before Al Bloushi put them ahead.

Leandro twice came close to putting the game beyond doubt for the home side, first curling a shot inches wide before smashing the ball against the crossbar. But Sadd couldn’t get a third and were made to pay deep into stoppage time when Ali Abbas showed a cool head amid a goal-mouth scramble to slot home the equaliser to send Al-Sadd packing.

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.

Match Day 4 Tuesday of the AFC Champions League 2010 resulted in some upsets and wake up calls for many teams that had a easy road so far.

Group B

Zob Ahan have managed 2 major upsets in a matter of weeks against the Uzbek aristocrats Bunyodkor on Tuesday.

They followed up their MD3 3-0 home victory with a 1-0 win that takes them to the top of the table with 10 points and sends Bunyodkor tumbling down to third, with six points.

Al Ittihad, of Saudi Arabia, move to second on seven points after their 4-0 victory over bottom side Al Wahda, of UAE.

Mohammad Khalatbari took advantage of a goalkeeping error to score Zob Ahan’s winner in the first half as Bunyodkor finished the match with 10 men after their Brazilian star Rivaldo was sent off for a high challenge.

Two-time champions Al Ittihad were in fine form at home with Saud Kariri scoring twice and Abdelmalik Ziaya and Sultan Al Numare also finding the net.

Group D

Mes Kerman crushed the hopes of Al Sadd by sealing their last 16 place on MD4. Mes avenged their defeat from last week by winning 3-1.

After Khalfan Ibrahim gave Al Sadd the lead after seven minutes, Mes came storming back with goals from Brazilian Edinho, Ali Samareh and Paulo Zaltron.

Korean international Lee Young-pyo was Hilal’s hero as he scored the winner in injury time in Dubai. Yasser Al Qahtani and Christian Wilhelmsson had earlier given Hilal a 2-0 lead after only 16 minutes before the home side fought back through Ahmed Khalil and Cesar to make it 2-2.

Group F

Kashima Antlers have qualified for the round of 16 after beating Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura 3-1.

Jeonbuk, are also mathematically guaranteed a place in the next round.

All goals in the Kashima-Persipura match came in the first half. Yasushi Endo gave Kashima the lead against a side who had conceded 14 in their previous two matches.

Yustina Pae equalised for Persipura for their second goal of the competition before Shinzo Korogi and Atsuto Uchida made it safe for the Antlers.

Korean national striker Lee Dong-gook scored a fine free-kick in the second half to give Jeonbuk their second straight victory over Changchun, in Jeonju.

Group H

Sanfrecce Hiroshima, upset group leaders Adelaide United’s 1-0 at the Big Arch. The first win  came courtesy of Hisato Sato’s goal at the stroke of half-time.

Adelaide now share first position with defending champions Pohang Steelers, who beat China’s Shandong Luneng 2-1 away.

Sanfrecce and Shandong have three points each.

Pohang needed a late goal from Kim Tae-su to beat Shandong. The visitors had taken the lead six minutes into the second half through Kim Jae-sung but substitute Li Jinyu equalised in the 73rd minute before Tae-su hit the winner five minutes from time.

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 D is made up of the following ACL teams.

• Al Sadd (QAT) – the best known Qatari footballing club in the world. Have had six appearances in the ACL championships, only progressing passwd the group stage in 2004, where they reached the quarter finals. Currently sitting 2nd in the Qatar league.
• Al Ahli (UAE) – domestically the season hasn’t begin going great for Al Ahli, they sit in he 2nd half of the table. So on current form, and given the lack of experience in ACL, I can’t see them doing anything great this year.
• Mes (IRN) - is sitting near the bottom of the Iranian Pro League so again on form, this years ACL championship could either pose a good distraction from their domestic woes or more misery. Given how tight this group already is, I am expecting the later.
• Al Hilal (KSA) – Saudi’s most successful club. They are leading this season’s Pro Saudi league and so are in good form for the ACL. Experience could be their Achilles’s heal outside of the Group stage.

Group D March Day 1 features:
AL SADD (QAT) vs AL HILAL (KSA) – These are the 2 top teams in Group D. I would expect Al Sadd to win at home but a draw is also likely.
MES KERMAN (IRN) vs AL AHLI (UAE) – Very even match up on form this year as both are languishing at the lower end of the domestic tables. I would expect a draw given the lack of recent ACL experience at both ends.

Saudi Arabian club Ettifaq are well and truly in the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League after their 4-0 thumping of Bunyodkor.

Prince Tagoe managed 2 goals against last year’s semi-finalists. The Ghanaian striker opened the scoring in Damman after just 16 minutes. From then on there was only going to be one winner and Tagoe added a second just before the break.

Saleh Bashar made it three just after half-time. Waleed Al Rajaa sealed the win against the Uzbeki side, who still have a chance of progressing, but will be sweating on other results.

Al Shabab remain a strong possibility after a 2-1 win at home to Sepahan of Iran. Musawenkosi Mguni opened the scoring in just the second minute and assisted the second for Salem Al Abadla.

There was time for the Iranians to grab a goal with 20 minutes remaining through Emad Mohammed but it was too little too late.

Source: www.the-afc.com

Ioan Andone’s half-time team talk spurred Ettifaq to an impressive second half performance as the Saudi Arabian side earned a comprehensive 4-1 win over Al Shabab on Tuesday.

Ghanaian striker Prince Tagoe scored a hat-trick – with two of this three strikes coming in the second half – to earn his team a come-from-behind victory that saw them claim all three points in the Group D encounter.

Marcus Assuncao had given Al Shabab the lead in the 15th minute, only for Tagoe to level the scores on the half-hour mark. Two more strikes in the second half and a fourth Ettifaq goal from Abdulrahman Al Qahtani sealed the points for the Saudis.

“We didn’t have any concentration in the first half but at half time, I told the players to play with our usual style and play the short and quick passes in addition to increase the play on the flanks,” said Andone.

Ettifaq top Group D with nine points from four matches, two more than Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor while Sepahan from Iran are in third on four points.

Al Shabab prop up the table with three points and are on the verge of elimination having won just once in four games.

“Our form in the first half was good as the players were disciplined and they were fully concentrated on the game,” said coach Toninho Cerezo.

“We have now a difficult task but we will try our best to continue our work in order to take advantage of our continental campaign. We have a group of players with certain capabilities and we will try to use the competition well.”

Source: www.the-afc.com

Sepahan coach Farhad Kazemi was furious with his charges after their 1-0 defeat at home to Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor which leaves the Iranians in real danger of not making the knock-out stages.

Timur Kapadze scored the only goal of the game in the first half, but according to Kazemi, Sepahan were fortunate to concede just the one goal.

“We made tactical errors and we were lucky not to concede four goals,” he said.

Kazemi was shocked by his team’s the performance given Sepahan were within 15 minutes of beating Bunyodkor in Tashkent two weeks ago.

But not all of Kazemi’s wrath was directed at himself and his players, with the coach expressing his disappointment at the home fans for calling for his head during the match.

“In Uzbekistan, when they (Bunyodkor) went behind, their fans got behind them causing us to defend deeper and deeper till they scored but today, unfortunately from the 30th minute the atmosphere inside the stadium got worse and worse and the fans didn’t support us,” he said.

The defeat leaves Sepahan three points behind the Uzbeks in Group D and looking like suffering a second successive elimination at the group stage.

“We have to win both (remaining) matches against Ettifaq and Al Shabab to go through,” said a despondent Kazemi.

His counterpart, Khikmat Irgashev, was in altogether higher spirits.

“We made good decisions at crucial times which is what I think made the difference. After this win we’re very hopeful of qualifying for the next round.”