RIYADH: The AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 has officially concluded after a turbulent period for the competition.
Initially delayed due to the war in the Middle East, clubs from West Asia saw their Round of 16 matches postponed before the Asian Football Confederation decided to stage the ties as one-leg fixtures in Jeddah as part of the centralised Final Stage format.
The UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli progressed to the final eight after a comfortable 3-0 victory over Iran’s Tractor.
Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad and Al-Wahda played out 129 minutes of tense football before a Fabinho penalty with the final kick of the game secured a 1-0 win for the Saudi Arabia side. The victory also avenged Al-Ittihad’s 2-1 defeat to the Emirati club in the league stage.
Al-Ittihad and Al-Wahda played out a similarly tense encounter to Monday’s clash between Al-Ahli and Al-Duhail, although clear chances were far fewer in comparison.
Sergio Conceicao’s side dominated the early proceedings. Playing with Danilo in the heart of the pitch, and Youssef En-Nesyri drifting into the left side of midfield when they were without the ball, it appeared only a matter of time before Al-Ittihad found the breakthrough.
The goalkeepers were rarely called into action, however. Over the course of 120 minutes, Al-Wahda’s Zayed Ahmed made just two saves, while Predrag Rajkovic was only tested once.
Al-Wahda’s compact defensive set-up ensured their opponents struggled to find a clear route into the penalty area. Al-Ittihad were largely limited to crosses, with Moussa Diaby unable to break past Ruben Amaral on multiple occasions.
The Emirati side fluctuated between a 4-4-2 diamond and a 4-5-1, depending on the positioning of Omar Khrbin and Dusan Tadic.
Khrbin often dropped deeper into midfield to help Al-Wahda progress through Al-Ittihad’s midfield, before pulling defenders out of position to free up Christian Benteke to receive crosses in the area.
Yet, unlike their back-and-forth encounter in the league stage, caution took over this contest. Last-ditch tackles and clearances defined much of the match, as both En-Nesyri and Benteke were limited to a shot each.
It seemed the encounter was heading for penalties until Abdulrahman Al-Obud was brought down by Bader Nasser in the area during the final attack of the game. A VAR review followed, with the Al-Inma Stadium erupting once the referee pointed to the spot.
As the clock ticked into the 10th minute of added time in extra time, Fabinho stepped up and calmly slotting the penalty past Zayed Ahmed to send Al-Ittihad into the quarterfinals. Al-Wahda’s staff and players vainly protested the decision once the final whistle blew.
After a turbulent season in domestic football that saw them struggle to defend their league title and exit in the Saudi King Cup semifinals, Al-Ittihad are now three games away from claiming their third AFC Champions League Elite title — a tournament they won in 2005 and 2006.
Elsewhere, Shabab Al-Ahli defeated Iran’s Tractor. Yuri Cesar opened the scoring in the 65th minute from the spot, before Saeid Ezatolahi doubled the lead after meeting Waleed Juma’s low cross in the 80th minute. Mateusao completed the scoring in stoppage time after Shabab Al-Ahli capitalised on Tractor’s high line on the counter.
Shabab Al-Ahli remain in search for their first continental title — the Dubai-based club would become just the second Emirati team to win the competition after Al-Ain. Their best remains a run to the final in 2015, where they eventually lost 1-0 over two legs to Guangzhou Evergrande.
On Tuesday, Al-Ahli defeated Al-Duhail 1-0 in the first of West Asia’s Round of 16 matches after a Riyad Mahrez winner in the 117th minute. What followed was a shock result, as Al-Sadd held Al-Hilal to a 3-3 draw before edging out a victory on penalties.
The AFC Champions League Elite resumes with the quarterfinals on Thursday, with Al-Sadd facing Vissel Kobe in the first of four matches. Al-Ahli clash with Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim on April 17, and Machida Zelvia against Al-Ittihad later that evening.
The quarterfinals conclude on April 18 when Buriram United and Shabab Al-Ahli go head-to-head.
