AFC Champions League: Eamon Zayed Hat Trick Guides Persepolis To Easy Win;Nothing But Draws In Group G; Buriram United On Top Of Group H

Group-stage play in the AFC Champions League continued with eight more games on Wednesday.

Group C:

At Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

Amara Diane (36', 90'+1) scored twice as Al-Nasr downed visiting Lekhwiya 2-1.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

Victor Simoes's stoppage time penalty kick (90'+4) enabled Al-Ahli to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Sepahan.  Bruno Correa scored in the 35th minute for the visiting Iranian club.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Sepahan Esfahan FC (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. Al-Nasr (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Lekhwiya (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Al-Ahli (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Group D:

At Tehran, Iran:

Persepolis, with Eamon Zayed delivering a natural hat trick (8', 48', 54'), demolished visiting Al-Shabab 6-1

At Doha, Qatar:

Al-Hilal battled home-standing Al-Gharafa to a 3-3 stalemate.  The hosts were able to get a point at home thanks to Diego Tardelli's double (44', 78') and Otmane El Assas' stoppage-time equalizer (90'+3) as they battled back from a two-goal deficit. Adil Hermach (16'), Youssef El-Arabi (66'), and Abdullah Al-Zori (76') each scored a goal from the visiting club from Saudi Arabia.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Persepolis (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 4)
2. Al-Hilal (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. Al-Gharafa (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
4. Al-Shabab (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Group G:

At Gosford, Australia:

Patrick Zwaanswijk's equalizer in the 28th minute carried the Central Coast Mariners to a 1-1 home draw with Nagoya Grampus.  Marcus Tulio Tanaka scored for the visiting Japanese club in the 21st minute.

At Seongnam, South Korea:

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma settled for a 1-1 home draw with Tianjin Teda.  Sang-Woon Han scored for the hosts in the 14th minute, only to see Lucian Goian equalize for the visiting Chinese club at 68 minutes.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
2. Nagoya Grampus (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. Central Coast Mariners (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
4. Tianjin Teda FC (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)

Group H:

At Kashiwa, Japan:

Leandro Domingues scored twice (PK-45', 45'+2) in the waning moments of the first half as Kashiwa Reysol drubbed visiting Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 5-1.

At Guangzhou, China:

Frank Acheampong scored the winning goal in the 79th minute as Thailand's Buriram United moved to the top of the Group H standings following their 2-1 road win over Guangzhou Evergrande.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Buriram United FC (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Guangzhou Evergrande FC (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
3. Kashiwa Reysol (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
4. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (GP: 2; GD: -8; PTS: 0)