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 counter-attack, as Al Motawa fired towards the goal but a quick reaction from keeper Mohammad Mohammadi repelled the striker’s left-footed shot.

Esteghlal came close to taking the lead four minutes later. Majidi met a beautiful curling cross from the left, but a fantastic save by Abdullah Al Enezi kept the Esteghlal forward’s header out.

In the 31st minute Mohammad Ibrahim latched onto the loose ball when two Esteghlal defenders failed to clear a corner, but his shot was blocked.

Defender Amir Hossein Sadeghi’s scissor kick flew past the left post in the 43rd minute before Mojtaba Jabbari’s free-kick rose over the crossbar one minute before the break.

Esteghlal started the second period stronger and could have taken the lead in the 48th minute. Majidi curled in a cross for Hawar, but the Iraq international’s effort, though acrobatic, was unsuccessful.

Two minutes later Hawar’s header was gathered by the keeper before Arash Borhani threatened by firing from outside box but his shot was comfortably collected by Al Enezi.

Abdullah Al Qahtani could have given Al Nassr the lead 13 minutes after the break but first-half substitute fired over the crossbar from inside the area after a speedy counter attack.

It was Al Nassr who opened the scoring two minutes later against the run of play. Al Motawa volleyed beautifully into the corner of the net leaving the Esteghlal keeper with no chance.

The hosts found the equaliser in the 62nd minute as Majidi headed home from Hawar’s right-sided cross.

Mehdi Seyed Salehi could not head in from a corner shortly afterwards and then in the 77th minute he missed another chance when he messed up a scissors kick.

Majidi wasted a golden opportunity in the 82nd minute when he fired into the hands of the goalkeeper when through.

Less than a minute later Majidi fired wide but Esteghlal’s efforts were rewarded just before the final whistle when Hawar cushioned a cross with his chest and netted with a brilliant left-footed strike from inside the box.

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 of some crucial games in the UAE Pro League.

It was Grampus who attacked first as Makito Yoshida shot too high early in the game.

The Japanese had another chance before Al Ain settled down and this time Yoshizumi Ogawa played a one-two with Kensuke Nagai but lifted his final effort over the bar.

After Genta Matsuo then failed to utilise a good chance when Ogawa found him on the right but his first-time shot flew across the goalmouth.

In the 21st minute, it was Al Ain who drew first blood and the goal came from a classy move.

Bandar Al Ahbabi found Ibrahima Keita with a forward pass and the Cote d’Ivoire player helped it forward to the advancing Al Ahbabi. He then found Hamad Al Merri who volleyed into the far corner from outside the box giving the keeper no chance.

Grampus midfielder Koji Hashimoto could have done better in the 24th minute but he shot wide and 11 minutes, later the visitors missed again when Ogawa beat Dawood Sulaiman to the ball but his header was way off the mark.

The hosts then stunned Grampus with another superbly executed goal.

In the 38th minute Al Ain’s Elias sent Valentin Badea down the left and then raced into the box to receive the return pass and flick it home for a 2-0 lead.

The Japanese, however, struck soon after the break when a long ball caught the Al Ain defence on the backfoot and Jungo Fujimoto reduced the margin.

But Al Ain restored their two-goal cushion in the very next minute when Genta Matsuo brought down Haddaf Abdullah inside the box and a penalty was awarded. Elias coolly slammed the ball into the roof of the net for his second goal and Al Ain were 3-1 up.

Grampus tried their best to get back into the game and peppered the rival box with some dangerous crosses but with Suleiman solid in goal and defenders Muahannad Al Enzi and Mussalam Faiz quick to thwart any danger, the hosts held on much to the delight of their fans.

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 Abel Braga rested most of his regulars but Bare nevertheless gave the home team the early lead with a superb strike.

Sepahan, who had never won in five matches at United Arab Emirates clubs, must have been wondering whether that jinx would haunt them again when an unmarked Toure headed wide.

However in the 31st minute, Sepahan did get back on level terms. Toure’s acrobatic attempt flew across the goalmouth and Kazemian, a former UAE League player, did well to squeeze his shot in from a difficult angle – much to the surprise of Al Jazira goalkeeper Ali Khasief.

Brazilian Fabio Januario was off target for Sepahan while at the other end, Ibrahim Diaky passed up the chance to get the hosts back in front when his shot hit the crossbar.

Sepahan attacked with more purpose after the interval and soon had their reward.

Kazemian was just unable to pounce on the follow-up when Khosro Heidari’s shot was saved by Khasief but the travelling support did not have to wait long for their second goal.

Toure made an unstoppable run into the box in the 61st minute and fired home to make it 2-1.

And 10 minutes later, Ehsan Hajisafi squared the ball back for an unmarked Toure, who produced a clinical finish.

Braga’s men were down and out and Sepahan sealed their first win in the UAE in style in stoppage time, when Mohammad Herawi crossed for substitute Enayati to head home.

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 much against a quality Al Hilal outfit.

The hosts had a good opening after nine minutes when Al Qahtani got free to meet Mirel Radoi’s corner but sent his header wide of the far post.

Mahmoud then fashioned a chance for himself when a neat turn in the box sent two Al Hilal defenders the wrong way but his shot lacked power and the keeper parried the ball away.

Ahmed Ali Kamel latched onto a ball over the top of the Al Gharafa defence but his weak shot was cleared in the 28th minute and Al Qahtani saw an acrobatic overhead kick sail wide of the target 10 minutes later as the first-half ended goalless.

However, Al Hilal broke the deadlock two minutes after the interval when a corner from the left was glanced on by Majed Al Marshadi and Al Qahtani prodded home at the far post.

Al Fraidi tried to chip Al Gharafa keeper Qasem Burhan but the ball landed on the roof of the net before Otman El Assas saw his strike from 25 yards skip just past the post on the hour mark.

Al Fraidi then produced a shot on the turn from the edge of the area that Burhan got down to save before the striker doubled Al Hilal’s lead with seven minutes to go.

Al Qahtani got in behind the Al Gharafa backline to get on the end of a long ball before he pulled it back to the onrushing Al Fraidi in the box and he slotted a composed finish past Burhan.

With Al Gharafa becoming increasingly more desperate, they left holes at the back for Al Hilal to exploit and Christian Wilhelmsson tried to round Burhan in injury time but the Al Gharafa keeper got a hand on the ball to avert the danger.

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 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.

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 from the left but seeing his glancing header flick the crossbar.

The Koreans then gained the upper hand as they began to dominate midfield.

Ha collected a failed attempted clearance by goalkeeper Dong Lei but his 15-yard drive hit Xiong Fei. However, the visitors soon opened the scoring.

Choi Sung-kuk beat Xiong and then forced Dong to palm away is powerful shot at full stretch.

Abdulkader Dakka then made a last-gasp intervention to deny Park Jong-jin’s follow-up, only to see the ball bounce up in front of the goal-line, which enabled Ha to head home comfortably.

Five minutes after the half-hour mark, Choi thought he doubled the advantage for Suwon with a fierce close-range shot, only to see Dong make an excellent save to deny him.

The visitors continued to dominate their Chinese rivals after the break.

Park made a strong run into penalty area just two minutes into the second period, poking the ball wide off the right post when he found himself one-on-one with Dong.

As the hosts began to look more lethargic, Suwon stepped up pressure on the Shanghai defence and turned the game into a one-sided affair as they extended their lead.

Dong parried out a 20-yard effort from Ha but Park swooped on the rebound and delivered a pass across the face of goal for Ha to steer the ball into the net.

Xin wasted an effort of note for the hosts on the hour mark, heading Zheng’s corner straight at keeper Jung Sung-ryong.

Shanghai almost pulled a goal back but an unmarked Wang Yang could not find the target from Wen Huyi’s inviting cross.

Suwon then claimed their third goal when substitute Yeom Ki-hun cut into box before delivering a smart pass for Shin to fire past Dong.

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 a win would take them through, and Wang Liang surged forward from the kick-off before striking wide from just outside the penalty area.

With assistant coach Rajko Magic serving as caretaker boss following the recent dismissal of Branko Ivankovic, Shandong also made a few physical challenges which resulted in bookings inside the opening half-hour for Liu Jindong, Renato Silva and Cui Peng, who was later sent off.

Cerezo looked to show attacking purpose but were frequently floored by their hard-tackling opponents.

By the midway point of the first-half, Cerezo began to threaten the Shandong goal and forward Rui Komatsu cut into the penalty area from the right to hit a shot which was blocked by goalkeeper Yang Cheng.

The hosts opened the scoring when Yusuke Maruhashi’s shot was pushed out by Yang and Rodrigo seized on the rebound to fire in from 10 yards.

Boosted by the goal, the J. League side went on the offensive and created numerous threatening chances before the interval.

Inui and Rodrigo could have doubled their team’s lead but were both thwarted by desperate defending.

Cerezo did increase their advantage a few seconds into the second-half when Kiyotake received a pass from Komatsu and fired in from the edge of the penalty area.

Midfielder Kim Bo-kyung then went close twice with fierce shots on goal, before Inui made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute by slotting home a loose ball after Komatsu cut into the box.

Shandong had threatened before the third goal went in, with an attempt from Ricardo in the 51st minute. But the visitors went down to 10 men with quarter of an hour to go when Cui Peng received his second booking of the day for a dangerous challenge on an opponent.

Substitute Cerezo midfielder Kurata then played a neat one-two and cut inside the box, rifling past the advancing Yang to find the net in the 81st minute

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 well placed before keeper Liam Reddy held Daigo Nishi’s glancing diving header at the other end.

Nozawa fired a free-kick straight at the Sydney custodian in the 16th minute before Kenji Koyano picked out Reddy with a side foot effort after the ball had broken to him at the edge of the box following Osako’s run.

Sydney then took the lead in the 25th minute when Jurman met a corner from the left with a powerful header inside the six-yard box that left Sogahata with no chance.

Mitsuo Ogasawara then saw a goal-bound effort deflected over by the head of Jurman and Nozawa’s strike from range was comfortably held by Reddy as Sydney went in at the break a goal to the good.

The second-half took a while to warm up but Kashima eventually conjured an equaliser in the 64th minute when Masahiko Inoha’s cross from the left was nodded back across goal and Osako was on hand to sweep home a volley from close range.

The forward then directed a header wide of the far post before Cazarine was off target with his head at the other end from Terry McFlynn’s intelligent ball forward.

Reddy had to be alert to preserve the status quo as a nice ball inside the full-back released Toru Araiba down the left and he drove into the box but elected to shoot when he might have crossed and the Sydney keeper parried his effort.

However, the hosts netted the winner with six minutes to go when Nozawa’s low free-kick from 25 yards threaded its way through the Sydney wall and a crowded penalty area to find the bottom corner past a diving Reddy.

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 from Lovrek and a late strike from Kang sung-jo completed the scoring as Jeonbuk collected a fifth victory in six games. Arema also missed a late penalty.

The 2006 ACL winners took the lead after just 40 seconds. Jung Sung-hoon broke free down the right and his low cross fell to Lovrek. The Croatian was not closed down and had time to control the ball on the left side of the area before driving a left-foot shot into the far corner of the goal.

Five minutes later, it was 2-0. Luiz Henrique picked up the ball just inside the Arema half and his simple pass through the middle sent Kim Dong-chan free. The striker rolled the past the goalkeeper to double the hosts’ lead.

Apart from the occasional long-range effort from the visitors, the one-way traffic continued and midway through the first-half, Eninho shot weakly from close range.

It was 3-0 in the 27th minute. Zulkifli Syukur was at the far post to deal with Kim Dong-chan’s high cross from the right but the defender was out-jumped by the onrushing Jung sung-hoon who thundered a header home from close range.

Just before the break, Eninho almost made it four but his shot from 25 yards out beat the goalkeeper but bounced back off the crossbar.

There was still time remaining in the first-half for Jung to also hit the crossbar and Lovrek to add his second and Jeonbuk’s fourth. Luiz Henrique found Eninho who drew the keeper and then slipped the ball unselfishly to his right, leaving Lovrek to side-foot into an empty net.

It took Jeonbuk a little while to get going after the break but substitute Kim Hyung-beom beat two defenders on the right side and pulled the ball back to find Lovrek near the penalty spot. The Croatian’s first time shot flew into the bottom corner to complete his hat-trick.

Kang sung-jo added a sixth with 13 minutes remaining to complete a good day for the Korea Republic side.

Arema’s best chance of the game came with six minutes remaining from the penalty spot. Goalkeeper Kim Min-sik brought down Benny Wahyudi but saved Roman Chmelo’s tame effort.

FT – HANGZHOU GREENTOWN (CHN) v FC SEOUL (KOR) (1 – 1)
FT – PAKHTAKOR (UZB) v AL SADD (QAT) (1 – 1)
FT – GAMBA OSAKA (JPN) v TIANJIN TEDA (CHN) (2 – 0)
FT – JEJU UNITED (KOR) v MELB VICTORY (AUS) (1 – 1)
FT – AL AIN (UAE) v NAGOYA GRAMPUS (JPN) (3 – 1)
FT -  AL JAZIRA (UAE) v SEPAHAN (IRN) (1 – 4)
FT – AL HILAL (KSA) v AL GHARAFA (QAT) (2 – 0)
FT – ESTEGHLAL (IRN) v AL NASSR (KSA) (2 – 1)

FT – SHANGHAI SHENHUA (CHN) v SUWON SAMSUNG BLUEWINGS (KOR) (0 – 3)
FT – CEREZO OSAKA (JPN) v SHANDONG LUNENG FC (CHN) (4 – 0)
FT – JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS (KOR) v AREMA MALANG (IDN) (6 – 0)
FT – KASHIMA ANTLERS (JPN) v SYDNEY FC (AUS) (2 – 1)
FT – AL WAHDA (UAE) v PIROOZI ATHLETIC (IRN) (2 – 0)
FT – AL ITTIHAD (KSA) v BUNYODKOR (UZB) (1 – 1)
FT – AL RAYYAN (QAT) v EMIRATES (UAE) (2 – 0)
FT – ZOBAHAN (IRN) v AL SHABAB (KSA) (0 – 1)

Group F had already been decided before today’s play, with Kashima Antlers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors having already qualified for the second round. The two met today to settle who would qualify in top spot and meet Pohang Steelers in the knockout stage.

Kashima Antlers 2–1 Jeonbuk FC

Kashima boss Oswaldo Oliveira signaled his objective in the pre-match press conference that his team was not looking for a draw, despite only needing not to lose to earn the all important advantage of “playing at home next round.”

The Antlers went 2 – 0 up in the first-half. Korea Republic defender Lee Jung-soo headed the home side ahead from a Takuya Nozawa corner after 20 minutes before Nozawa doubled their lead two minutes later when his fine volley flew past Kwoun Suntae in the Jeonbuk goal. With 10 minutes remaining Jin Kyung-sun pulled a goal back but with the win Kashima topped their group.

“I’m very happy with this result. I think we deserved the 100% record,” said Oliveira at full-time. “We played just enough to be in the position we are in, this is a result of our hard work we have put in up to now.”

Persipura 2–0 Changchun Yatai

Indonesia Super League champs Persipura Jayapura have had a very difficult ride this year, having lost all five of their Group F games. They were however still eager to score a victory. Eduard Ivakdalam’s close range finish got the hosts on their way shortly before the half-hour mark and Tinus Pae made it 2 – 0 with 20 to go.

Denilson made all the difference for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Bunyodkor, ensuring his side made it into the knockout stages.

The Uzbek champions need to win and hope that Zob Ahan also won in order to progress. It turned out that way and now they will meet Saudi champs Al-Hilal. Zob Ahan’s win sees them qualify as group winners to set-up an all Iranian clash with Mes Kerman.

Bunyodkor 4-1 Al-Wehda

Rivaldo opened the scoring 28 minutes in, as Wehda left him un-marked inside the box to head home Djeparov’s cross. Denilson doubled their lead three minutes later when Wehda keeper, Mohammed Al Hosani completely missed his kick, leaving Denilson to simply pass the ball into an empty net. At the 60 minute mark, Denilson made it three when he smashed home Jasur Hasanov’s pull-back before Another Hasanov unleashed a 35-yard rocket to make it four. Talal Abdulla scored a consolation for Al Wehda through a penalty in stoppage time.

Zob Ahan 1–0 Al-Ittihad

Zob Ahan coach Mansor Ebrahimzadeh revealed that his side was up for today’s game “it’s a big deal for us to be the hosts in the next game,”.

Zob have won all of their home games so far and a 57th minute strike from Iran’s Mohammad Reza Khalatbari won the game and secured top spot.

Chinese champions Beijing Guoan progressed into the second round thanks to 2-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale. With Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa already winning the group, Fontale had set up a winner-takes-all clash against Guoan.

Beijing Guoan 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale

Frontale needed a win to make it into the 2nd round of the ACL for the 3rd successive year. Goals either side of halt-time from Joel Griffiths and Valdo ensured the Japanese would make an early exit.

Griffith’s goal was created following a defensive error by Yusuke Tasaka. The Australian showed a cool head inside the box before firing his shot across Eiji Kawashima in the Frontale goal to set the hosts on their way. Valdo made it 2 – 0 and sent Guoan into the knockout stage. Valdo met Yan Xiangchuang’s through ball, rounded Eiji and tapped the ball into the empty net. Guoan will face Group G winners Suwon Bluewings in the knockout stage.

Seongnam Ilhwa 3–2 Melbourne Victory

An goal in the final 10 minutes sealed it for Seongnam against Melbourne Victory to set up a second round clash with Gamba Osaka.

Cheon Kwang-jin scored the opening goal in the 27th minute when he side-footed Namkung Do’s centre beyond Mitchell Langerak in the Victory goal. Victory equalised when Dugandzic met a Carlos Hernandez’s pass to fire home the equaliser. With 20 minutes remaining Seongnam’s standout performer Namkung Do put them back into the lead. Victory responded immediately with Tom Pondeljak grabbing a Victory equaliser five minutes later. Cho sealed victory for Seongnam with just over five minutes remaining, racing clear before chipping the ball over Langerak.

“We could see why Seongnam have won the group,” said Victory coach Ernie Merrick. “They moved the ball around very quickly in the middle and make lots of goal-scoring opportunities.”

A last minute Naser Kamel winner for Al-Gharafa saw the The Cheetahs clinch top spot in Group A. Matchday 6 was a contest about who would win top spot.

Al-Jazira 2–1 Esteghlal

UAE League side Al-Jazira is one of the weakest teams in the ACL based on results over the past 2 seasons. However with few expecting them to do much against group leaders Esteghlal, the stepped up to the mark and broke Esteghlal’s unbeaten record.

The visitors took an expected lead five minutes before half-time. Hossein Kazemi’s mazy run ended with Farhad Majidi coolly placing his finish beyond Ali Khasif. Esteghal looked set ease to victory but Khosro Heydari grabbed a deserved equaliser shortly after half-time before Tariq Ahmed sent the home fans into raptures three minutes late with a wonderful long range strike.

Al Ahli 0–1 Al-Gharafa

Al-Garafa had failed to emerge from the group stages in their last four ACL campaigns and having already sealed their qualification, a last minute Naser Kamel winner has seen them top the group. Garafa will face Pakhtakor in the knockout stage.

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.

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.

Top spot was all that was left to fight for in Group G.

Suwon Bluewings 6–2 Singapore Armed Forces

Singapore took a shock lead after just five minutes, controlling brilliantly before curling a long rage shot past Lee Woon-jae. Six minutes later however, Suwon equalised through Jose Mota. They then took the lead through Lee Hyun-jin, who was first to react to a rebound. Kwak Hee-ju then headed home a set piece on the half-hour mark to make it 3-1. Mota grabbed his second seven minutes before the break.

Second half substitute Yeom Ki-hoon then celebrated his Bluewings debut with a goal less than a minute after the restart. Ivan Lovric grabbed a consolation for SAF with 20 minutes left before Yeom scored his 2nd on debut with a curling in a 20-yard shot.

Henan Jianye 1–1 Gamba Osaka

With Henan already eliminated, expectations weren’t high for a competitive match but it didn’t turn out that way tonight. Gamba took the lead just after half time through a Takashi Usami’s strike and they held on to the lead until the finla minute of regular time, when they managed an equaliser from Song Tae-lim.

Adelaide United has claimed top spot in Group H despite going down 1-0 to Shandong Luneng at Hindmarsh stadium in the final group game of the Asian Champions League.

A second-half goal to Lei Wei was enough for the the Chinese Super League side to secure the win, but Sanfreece’s 4-3 win over Pohang Steelers in Japan denied the current holder the chance to secure top billing in Group H.

In the ACL 2010, five spots remain open while many of those who have already qualified, are looking to top their group in order to earn home advantage for the R16.

Group A

Esteghlal (Iran) and Al Gharafa (Qatar) already qualified.
Esteghlal have 11, one point ahead of Gharafa. The Iranians are away to UAE’s Al Jazira while Gharafa travel to Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia. Victory for Esteghlal would seal first place.

Group B

Zob Ahan (Iran) already qualified.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad and Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) face a battle for the second qualifying spot. Zob Ahan are on 10 points, two ahead of Ittihad and three in front of Bunyodkor.

Ittihad can still win the group if they beat Zob Ahan away while Bunyodkor are at home to UAE’s Al Wahda.

Group C

Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan), Sepahan (Iran) and Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia) all have a chance.
Pakhtakor (nine points), Sepahan (eight) and Shabab (seven) can all win the group or suffer heartbreak depending on how the results pan out. Sepahan are away to Al Ain while Shabab face Pakhtakor in the crunch game that is do-or-die for both teams.

Group D

Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) already qualified in first place.
Qatar’s Al Sadd, with seven points, lead Iran’s Mes Kerman by one point. Mes face Hilal at home on MD6 while Sadd can seal second place if they win at home against Ahli.

Group E

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (Korea Republic) already qualified in first place with 12 points.
A similar situation to Group D, this time Beijing Guoan (seven points) are trying to fend off Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale (six points). The two rivals meet in Beijing with the home side needing a draw to join Seongnam in the R16.

Group F

Kashima Antlers (Japan) and Jeonbuk Motors (Korea Republic) already qualified.
Kashima Antlers are on a maximum 15 points from five games and are favourites to qualify in first place. Jeonbuk, beaten 2-1 at home by Kashima on MD2, are three points behind and need to beat the Antlers by two clear goals away if they are to snatch top place.

Group G

Gamba Osaka (Japan) and Suwon Bluewings (Korea Republic) already qualified.
Gamba lead with 11 points, one ahead of Suwon. The Bluewings must now hope that Gamba drop points away to China’s Henan Jianye while they beat Singapore Armed Forces at home.

Group H

Adelaide United (Australia) and Pohang Steelers (Korea Republic) already qualified.
Both teams are on 10 points from five matches and need the other to slip up on MD6. Pohang are away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, of Japan, while Adelaide are at home to China’s Shandong Luneng.