Debutants Shanghai SIPG Sydney FC, former champions Urawa Red Diamonds, FC Seoul, Shandong Luneng, Tractorsazi Tabriz, Zobahan and Lekhwiya all advanced to the last 16 of the AFC Champions League this week as defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande missed out on a place in the knockout stage.
Sven Goran Eriksson’s Shanghai, who are playing in their maiden continental campaign, booked their place Round of 16 as Group G winners after beating Australia’s Melbourne Victory 3-1 on Tuesday.
Melbourne are still in contention to join Shanghai in the last 16, although Korea Republic’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings beat Gamba Osaka of Japan 2-1 to move level on points with Kevin Muscat’s side heading into the final round of fixtures next month.
And Melbourne must now match or better Suwon’s result against Shanghai in their final game against Gamba with the pair equal in terms of head-to-head record following two draws.
“Last year Shanghai were dreaming about winning the AFC Champions League title and up till now we’ve been doing pretty good. Everyone at the club and all the fans are all very happy,” said Eriksson.
“But we can't talk about our future in ACL yet, I'm just so happy that we can win our match over Melbourne, very satisfied with the way we played and delighted that we have topped the group.”
A goalless draw between Australia’s Sydney and Japan’s Urawa in Group H on Wednesday, meanwhile, saw both teams advance to the Round of 16, with the A-League side qualifying from the group stage for the first time.
The result also means that despite defending champions Guangzhou from China picking up their first win of the campaign with a 2-0 win away at Korea Republic’s Pohang Steelers on Tuesday both they and their opponents were eliminated with a match to spare.
There was better news for the K-League Classic in Group F, though, as FC Seoul guaranteed a place in the knockout stage with a 2-1 win over already-eliminated Buriram United of Thailand.
And the Koreans were joined by Chinese Super League side Shandong who confirmed second place in the group after Diego Tardelli scored to secure a 1-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima that eliminated the J.League champions.
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Elsewhere, Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz secured their place in the Round of 16 for the first time after three previous attempts with a 2-0 win over two-time continental champions Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, while Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor kept their qualification hopes alive after a 3-1 victory at already-eliminated Al Jazira of the United Arab Emirates.
“The win is very important for us because it will give us a big push in the competition,” said Tractorsazi coach Amir Ghalenoei.
“We had a balanced performance in the two halves and we tried our best to avoid conceding any goals in the first half and we achieved that.
“In the second half we changed our strategy and put some pressure on the attack before scoring the first goal in the right moment. We relied after that on the quick counterattacks and we managed to secure the win with the second goal.”
Iran’s Zobahan sealed top spot in Group B after Yahya Golmohammadi’s side beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr 3-0 thanks to a brace from Ehsan Pahlavan, with the result ensuring the Iranians win the group ahead of Qatar’s Lekhwiya, who beat Bunyodkor 2-0 to seal second place.
Meanwhile, there is still all to play for in Group E with a 3-0 win for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors against FC Tokyo of Japan, coupled with Jiangsu FC matching that scoreline to eliminate Vietnam’s Becamex Binh Duong, leaving just two points separating the top three sides.
In Group D, Qatar’s El Jaish lost 4-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli having already secured progress to the last 16, while Nasaf of Uzbekistan shared a 1-1 draw with the UAE’s Al Ain which leaves the sides awaiting the final.
Meanwhile, two-time winners Al Ittihad from Saudi Arabia kept their campaign alive as two goals from Abdulrahman Al Ghamdi secured a 4-0 win over former finalists Sepahan from Iran in Group A as Al Nasr were held to a 1-1 draw by Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv.
The defeat means the Iranian side cannot advance to the last 16, while Al Ittihad moved onto six points, closing the gap to second-placed Al Nasr from the UAE to just two points.
Lokomotiv lead the group by an additional point but, having drawn with Al Ittihad in their two meetings earlier in the competition, the fate of both berths in the next phase remains undetermined.
Photo: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com