2020 AFC Champions League – Round of 16 in review
- 3 years ago
In a sign of the twists and turns to come, the West zone’s knockout stage began with two matches that were ultimately won by the team who conceded first.
Al Ahli Saudi FC prevailed 4-3 on penalties, having fallen behind to an early goal from Shabab Al Ahli FC’s Azizjon Ganiev, with Omar Al Soma squaring the ledger, also from the penalty spot before Abdullah Al Naqbi’s shootout miss handed Al Ahli a place in the last eight.
Later that night, also at Al Janoub Stadium, Uzbekistan Super League champions Pakhtakor beat Islamic Republic of Iran's Esteghlal FC 2-1, shrugging off Ali Karimi’s opener thanks to goals to Dragan Ćeran and Eren Derdiyok – the only two foreign players on the club’s books – and reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009. The next night’s matches, both at Education City Stadium, were decided by single goals.
An 88th-minute winner from Isa Alkasir took Iranian champions Persepolis FC through at the expense of Al Sadd, ending any chance of a local winner in the Qatar-based tournament, before Abderrazak Hamdallah continued his one-man mission to guide Al Nassr to the latter stages, scoring with 15 minutes remaining to knock out fellow Saudi club Al Taawoun. While Al Ahli Saudi, Pakhtakor, Persepolis and Al Nassr looked towards their respective quarter-finals a few days later, it would be more than two months before the East Zone’s Round of 16 began, and it was well and truly worth the wait.
Beijing FC continued their outstanding group stage form, but they were given their sternest test yet against FC Tokyo, with a combination of Renato Augusto’s pass and A Lan’s finish delivering the goal which sealed a 1-0 win for the Chinese club.
They would be joined in the last eight by the equally impressive Ulsan Hyundai, who outlasted a dogged but ultimately exhausted Melbourne Victory, with super sub Bjørn Johnsen scoring two of the three late goals in a 3-0 win. Those matches largely followed the script, but both games the following evening sent big names tumbling out of the tournament early.Languishing in 12th place of their domestic league in Japan, Vissel Kobe once again showed their knack of getting the right result at the right time, with Andres Iniesta and Daigo Nishi scoring the goals in a 2-0 win over Shanghai SIPG.
But the biggest shock came later, with Suwon Samsung Bluewings coming from behind to beat 2019 J1 League champions and Group H winners Yokohama F. Marinos 3-2, with Han Seok-jong scoring a sensational 50-yard goal in what was a frantic final 10 minutes.
Source: The AFC
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