Al Rayyan 3-4 Al Jazira
Brazilian forward Ricardo Oliveira scored all four of Al Jazira’s goals as the United Arab Emirates Pro League side claimed their fifth victory in six Group A matches with a lively 4-3 win over Al Rayyan of Qatar on Wednesday.
Oliveira entered the match at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium as the leading scorer in the AFC Champions League with six goals after he had bagged a hat-trick in Al Jazira’s 4-1 thrashing of Nasaf two weeks ago. And the Brazilian raised his tally in the competition …

Baniyas 2-0 Pakhtakor
AFC Champions League debutants Baniyas secured a spot in the Round of 16 after downing tournament ever-presents Pakhtakor 2-0 on Wednesday to take second spot in Group B. Senegalese forward Andre Senghor fired Baniyas ahead after 13 minutes and substitute Amer Abdulrahman added a second against the Uzbek club after the interval to help the UAE Pro League side to join group winners Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the knockout rounds.
Baniyas went into the match with a one-point edge over the visiting side following their 4-0 drubbing …

Gamba Osaka 0-2 Adelaide United
Sergio van Dijk came off the bench to score his first goal of the campaign as Australia’s Adelaide United beat Gamba Osaka 2-0 on Wednesday to win Group E and set-up a meeting with Nagoya Grampus in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League.
Van Dijk, making his fourth substitute appearance of the campaign, broke the deadlock at Expo ’70 Stadium five minutes after the hour mark before an own-goal from Gamba substitute Akihiro Sato with two minutes remaining ensured Adelaide completed the double over the …

Brisbane Roar 1-1 Beijing Guoan
A-League champions Brisbane Roar have bowed out of the 2012 AFC Champions League tournament with a fripustrating 1-1 draw with Beijing Guoan.
Brisbane took a deserved lead with just 15 minutes on the clock when Berisha finished off a fine move that saw Mitch Nichols feed the impressive Kofi Danning and the Albanian striker was left to slide the ball home.
Danning was causing the Beijing defence numerous problems throughout the first 25 minutes and it was through the Ghana-born winger that Brisbane’s greatest threat existed.
Danning and Berisha …

GAMBA OSAKA (JPN) v ADELAIDE UNITED (AUS) (0 – 2) (FT)
BRISBANE ROAR (AUS) v BEIJING GUOAN (CHN) (1 – 1) (FT)
ULSAN HYUNDAI (KOR) v FC TOKYO (JPN) (1 – 0) (FT)
BUNYODKOR (UZB) v POHANG STEELERS (KOR) (1 – 0) (FT)
NASAF (UZB) v ESTEGHLAL (IRN) (0 – 2) (FT)
AL RAYYAN (QAT) v AL JAZIRA (UAE) (3 – 4) (FT)
BANIYAS (UAE) v PAKHTAKOR (UZB) (2 – 0) (FT)
AL ITTIHAD (KSA) v AL ARABI (QAT) (3 – 2) (FT)

Tianjin Teda 0-3 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
Tianjin: Serbian striker Vladimir Jovancic scored twice in the second half as 2010 AFC Champions League winners Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma qualified for the last 16 of the 2012 edition as Group G winners after beating China’s Tianjin Teda 3-0 on Tuesday.
Exciting Korea Republic youngster Yoon Bit-garam opened the scoring for the Korean FA Cup winners after 32 minutes at Tianjin Teda Stadium before Serbian frontman Jovancic doubled Seongnam’s lead at the start of the second half.
And with Jovancic’s penalty midway through the second half securing …

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0-2 Kashiwa Reysol
J.League champions Kashiwa Reysol qualified for the last 16 of the AFC Champions League as secon- half goals from Leandro Domingues and Junya Tanaka secured a 2-0 win over K-League counterparts Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Tuesday.
With last year’s beaten finalists Jeonbuk only needing a point to qualify from Group H, Brazilian midfielder Leandro Domingues (Leandro Domingues Barbosa) broke the deadlock for Kashiwa four minutes into the second half at Jeonju World Cup Stadium with his fourth goal of the campaign.
And just after the hour mark …

Al Hilal 2-1 Al Gharafa
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal secured top spot in Group D and their fifth consecutive appearance in the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League after a 2-1 victory over Qatari side Al Gharafa on Tuesday.
Ahmed Al Fraidi scored early in the second half and Nawaf Al Abid extended the Saudi club’s lead in the 65th minute before Al Hilal defender Osama Hawsawi ensured a nervous finish for the hosts when he put the ball into his own net with nine minutes left.
With their victory, Al …

Lekhwiya 1-2 Al Nasr
Al Nasr of the United Arab Emirates scored twice in three minutes early in the second half as they came from behind to beat Qatar Stars League champions Lekhwiya 2-1 on Wednesday in the final AFC Champions League match for both teams this year.
Lassina Diaby gave the home side the lead at the Al Sadd Stadium with a cool finish just before half-time.
But the visitors struck back shortly after the break as Amara Diane and Humaid Abbas both beat goalkeeper Amine Lecomte from distance to give Al …

FT – TIANJIN TEDA (CHN) v SEONGNAM ILHWA CHUNMA (KOR) (0 – 3)
FT – BURIRAM UNITED (THA) v GUANGZHOU EVERGRANDE (CHN) (1 – 2)
FT – NAGOYA GRAMPUS (JPN) v CENTRAL COAST (AUS) (3 – 0)
FT – JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) v KASHIWA REYSOL (JPN) (0 – 2)
FT – LEKHWIYA (QAT) v AL NASR (UAE) (1 – 2)
FT – SEPAHAN (IRN) v AL AHLI (KSA) (2 – 1)
FT – AL HILAL (KSA) v AL GHARAFA (QAT) (2 – 1)
FT – AL SHABAB AL ARABI (UAE) v PIROOZI ATHLETIC (IRN) (1 – 3)
16 …

Esteghlal ended their 2011 AFC Champions league campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al Nassr at the Azadi Stadium, but it was not sufficient to seal a place in the last 16 as they lost out to their Saudi opponents on goal difference.
Badar Al Motawa opened the scoring on the hour mark before Farhad Majidi in the 62nd and Hawar Mulla Mohammed in the 89th minutes turned the match around for Esteghlal.
In a first half low on excitement, the visitors created the first chance in the 16th minute from a …

Inaugural champions Al Ain signed off their 2011 AFC Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan’s Nagoya Grampus, a result ended the visitors’ hopes of topping Group F.
With Grampus and Seoul FC level on 10 points before the game, the Japanese were keen to win and seal a home tie in the last 16 after the Koreans could only draw at Hangzhou Greentown.
But a young Al Ain side led 2-0 at the break and then completed a fine 3-1 win to lift their struggling form and morale ahead …

Sepahan rallied from a goal down to post an emphatic 4-1 victory over Al Jazira and top 2011 AFC Champions League Group A on Wednesday.
Brazilian Bare opened the scoring for the hosts after 14 minutes but Javad Kazemian got Sepahan level just after the half-hour mark before the visitors turned the screw after the break.
Senegal’s Ibrahima Toure scored twice and Reza Enayati completed the 4-1 win for the Iranian champions at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium that seals top spot regardless of Al Hilal’s result against Al Gharafa.
Al Jazira coach …

Al Hilal secured their place in the last 16 of the 2011 AFC Champions League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Al Gharafa at King Fahd International Stadium.
Needing just a point to go through, second-half goals from Yasser Al Qahtani and Ahmed Al Fraidi were enough to see off the Qataris in the Group A encounter and book a trip to Jeddah rivals Al Ittihad in the last 16.
Younis Mahmoud battled manfully for Al Gharafa but he ploughed a lonely furrow up front as the Qataris were unable to create …

Round of 16 is a knockout round. It is a one round playoff (no second leg).
These are the teams at the moment. The draw hasn’t been made but will be shortly.
SEPAHAN (IRN), AL HILAL (KSA), AL SADD (QAT), AL NASSR (KSA), AL ITTIHAD (KSA), BUNYODKOR (UZB), ZOBAHAN (IRN), AL SHABAB (KSA), GAMBA OSAKA (JPN), TIANJIN TEDA (CHN), FC SEOUL (KOR), NAGOYA GRAMPUS (JPN), JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR), CEREZO OSAKA (JPN), SUWON SAMSUNG BLUEWINGS (KOR), KASHIMA ANTLERS (JPN)

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 …

Suwon Samsung Bluewings won Group H of 2011 AFC Champions League as a convincing 3-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua at Shanghai Hongkou Stadium saw them edge out Kashima Antlers on goals scored.
Ha tae-gyun struck twice as he headed the visitors in front after 12 minutes before netting the second 10 minutes after the break. Shin Se-gye added a third goal two minutes before time as the K-League side walked away with all three points.
Xin Feng came close to an opener five minutes from the start, connecting with Zheng Wei’s free-kick …

Rodrigo Pimpao set Cerezo Osaka on their way to a crushing 4-0 victory as they reached the last 16 of the AFC Champions League at the expense of Shandong Luneng.
The Japanese side needed just to avoid defeat to secure a runners-up finish behind Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Group G, but progressed in style with a home win at the Nagai Stadium.
Rodrigo netted the opening goal in the 39th minute before Hiroshi Kiyotake, Takashi Inui and substitute midfielder Shu Kurata scored in the second-half.
Chinese Super League side Shandong began positively, knowing …

Kashima Antlers came from a goal down to overcome Sydney FC 2-1 at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Matthew Jurman headed Sydney into a first-half lead but Kashima fought back after the break and goals from Yuya Osako and Takuya Nozawa sealed their third win in this season’s competition.
Sydney had a good chance to take the lead after just two minutes when Bruno Cazarine found space in the box but keeper Hitoshi Sogahata did well to deny the forward’s low shot with an outstretched leg.
Nick Carle was then off target when …

A hat-trick from Krunoslav Lovrek helped Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors ease to a 6-0 win over Arema Indonesia at Jeonju World Cup Stadium to ensure that the hosts progressed to the last 16 of the 2011 AFC Champions League as Group G winners.
The Croatian scored inside the first minute put the K-League leaders on their way against their Indonesian opponents and from then it was a question of how many the Korea Republic team would score.
Kim Dong-chan added a second shortly after and Jung Sung-hoon made it three before two more …