At the end of the AFC Champions League group stage, Riyadh Crescent and Jeddah United successfully advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage to usher in the final round of fierce competition. In this round of matches, Saudi giants Jeddah United and Riyadh Crescent successfully advanced to the knockout stage, and Uzbek teams Nassaf and Namangan also successfully advanced to the round of 16. Next, we will sort out the key competitions one by one.
In the 4th minute of Riyadh Crescent's match against Mazandaran, Blake's cross assist allowed Michael to volley home the goal, giving Riyadh Crescent a dream start. Subsequently, Al-Shehri fell to the ground in the penalty area, VAR intervened, and the referee cancelled the penalty after a replay. In the 53rd minute, Davasari scored a final shot to extend the score. In the closing stages, in the 77th minute, Rahmati pulled a goal back.
In the end, Riyadh Crescent won 2-1 against Mazandaran to make it 15 wins in a row in all competitions. In the other match in the same group, Uzkistani side Namangan beat Mumbai City 2-1 for the New Year. After all the group stage of Group D, Riyadh Crescent won 5 wins, 1 draw and 16 points, and directly advanced to the round of 16, while Namangan New Spring locked up a second place in the group with the best results in West Asia with 13 points with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
Mazandaran and Mumbai City missed the cut and were out. Jeddah United vs. Sepahan In the other game, in the 14th minute, Saleh Amri took a free kick and flew straight into the goal, quickly establishing a one-goal advantage for Jeddah United. Near the midfield, Hamed fell to the ground in the penalty area, VAR intervened, and the referee Ma Ning *** replayed and judged that he faked a fall and showed a yellow card.
At the start of the second half, in the 48th minute, Rezayan equalized with a header. Then, in the 69th minute, Jota stabbed the goalkeeper after receiving the ball in front. In the end, Jeddah United won 2-1 against Sepahan. In Group C, Jeddah United qualified first with 15 points from 5 wins and 1 loss, while Sepahan retained their hopes of promotion with 10 points from 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.
The Baghdad Air Force and Almalek exited the tournament with 10 and 0 points, respectively. Nassaf drew 2-2 with Saad, Faisari Sport defeated Sharjah 2-1 In the Group B match, Nassaf advanced to the knockout stage with 11 points with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, while Saad is temporarily ranked 2nd, leaving only the possibility of theoretical promotion. Sharjah and Faisari Sport went out in 3rd and 4th place respectively.
So far, 9 seats have been born in the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League: East Asia: Pohang Ironman, Kawasaki Frontale, Bangkok United;West Asia: Riyadh Victory, Riyadh Crescent, Jeddah United, Ain, Nasaf, Namangan New Year. This exciting AFC Champions League group stage finale heralds a thrilling battle for the knockout stage.