HONG KONG : Adam Ounas scored an injury time penalty to earn Al-Sadd a 2-1 win over Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr on Monday that takes the Qatari outfit into the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite.
The win means Al-Sadd join Saudi trio Al-Nassr, who were missing Cristiano Ronaldo for the loss in Riyadh, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli in booking their spots in the last 16 of the revamped continental championship.
Al-Ahli needed a pair of Ivan Toney penalties to salvage a 2-2 draw with Esteghlal as the Jeddah-based club’s perfect record was ended at home while Persepolis defeated Al-Shorta 2-1 and Al-Wasl drew 1-1 with Al-Rayyan.
Al-Ahli’s draw is the first time the Jeddah-based club have dropped points in the competition after five consecutive wins had guaranteed their place in the last 16 of the competition.
Matthias Jaissle’s side have 16 points from six games and continue to lead the standings by three points from Al-Hilal, who face Qatar’s Al-Gharafa on Tuesday.
The top eight finishers in the western and eastern league tables progress to the round of 16, which will be played in March.
Half of those spots on the western side of the draw are now filled with Al-Sadd’s late win taking Felix Sanchez’s side through to the knockout rounds.
Afif, the reigning Asian Player of the Year, gave Al-Sadd the lead after charging from the halfway line to calmly slot past goalkeeper Bento in the 53rd minute.
Al-Sadd’s Romain Saiss turned Wesley’s wicked cross from the left past into his own net in the 80th minute but when Afif was brought down in the area in injury time Ounas stepped up to hit the winner.
Al-Ahli, meanwhile, were twice forced to fight back after going behind, trailing for the first time when Rafael Silva put Iran’s Esteghlal ahead three minutes before the interval with a volley past Edouardo Mendy.
Toney levelled from the penalty spot eight minutes into stoppage time after a foul by Didier Ndong on Fahad Al-Rashidi but Esteghlal went back in front six minutes into the second half when Mohammad Hossein Eslami’s strike bounced over Mendy.
Eslami’s sending off with nine minutes left increased the pressure on the visitors and, with four minutes left, a second Toney penalty salvaged a point for the hosts.
In Doha, Oston Urunov and a 103rd minute penalty from Giorgi Gvelesiani secured Persepolis’s first victory in the competition against Al-Shorta after Mohannad Ali had given the Iraqis a 19th minute lead with a well-judged lob.
Meanwhile, Caio Canedo’s 77th minute opener for Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates was cancelled out by a Salem Al-Azizi own goal eight minutes later as Qatar’s Al-Rayyan claimed a point in the clubs’ meeting in Dubai.
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