AFC Champions League: Al-Jazira Win Group A; Al-Ittihad, Adelaide United, FC Tokyo, Ulsan Hyundai Advance To Knockout Stage

Group-stage action from the AFC Champions League continued on Wednesday with eight games.

Group A:

At Tehran, Iran:

Arash Borhani scored twice (PK-23', 90'+3) as Esteghlal dominated Al-Rayyan 3-0 to take over second place in Group A.

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Ricardo Oliveira delivered a natural hat trick (14', 33', 42') during a four-goal first half in which Al-Jazira clinched the Group A title with a 4-1 home domination of Nasaf Qarshi with the visitors now eliminated from the tournament.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. y-Al-Jazira (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
2. Esteghlal Tehran FC (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
3. Al-Rayyan (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
4. z-Nasaf Qarshi (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 1)

y-Won Group A and clinched a berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from tournament

Group B:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

Mohamed Abosaban scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage-time (90'+4) as Al-Ittihad locked up top spot in Group B with a 2-1 road win over Pakhtakor Tashkent.

At Doha, Qatar:

Fawzi Bashir (17'), Francisco Yeste (40'), Nawaf Mubarak (51'), and Andre Senghor (77') each scored a goal as Bani Yas demolished Al-Arabi 4-0 on the road.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. y-Al-Ittihad (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 13)
2. Bani Yas (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 8)
3. Pakhtakor Tashkent (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 7)
4. z-Al-Arabi (GP: 5; GD: -11; PTS: 0)

y-Won Group B and clinched a berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from tournament

Group E:

At Adelaide, Australia:

By battling visiting FC Bunyodkor to a 0-0 stalemate, Adelaide United locked up a berth in the knockout stage.

At Pohang, South Korea:

Jin-Ryong Kim (45'+1) and Derek Asamoah (78') provided the scoring as Pohang Steelers blanked visiting Gamba Osaka, eliminating the Japanese club from the tournament.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. x-Adelaide United (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
2. Pohang Steelers (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
3. FC Bunyodkor (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. z-Gamba Osaka (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage
z-Eliminated from tournament

Group F:

At Tokyo:

Kazuma Watanabe (PK-44', 61') scored twice as FC Tokyo secured a berth in the knockout stage with their 4-1 home domination of the Brisbane Roar.

At Beijing, China:

Shin-Wook Kim (17'), Seung-Yong Kim (20'), and Maranhao (79') provided the scoring as Ulsan Hyundai locked up a knockout-stage berth with a 3-2 road win over Beijing Guoan.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. x-FC Tokyo (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 11)
2. x-Ulsan Hyundai (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 11)
3. z-Beijing Guoan (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 2)
4. z-Brisbane Roar (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 2)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage
z-Eliminated from tournament