Al Hilal close in on Asian Champions League quarter-finals after late goals

Al Hilal moved a step closer to the Asian Champions League quarter-finals by securing a 3-1 victory over 10-man Sepahan of Iran in Isfahan on Tuesday. The team's comeback was fueled by stoppage-time goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Abdullah Al Hamdan.

The Saudi Pro League team remains on course for a historic fifth title after Mitrovic scored in the fourth minute of added time, followed by Al Hamdan doubling the lead three minutes later.

These goals dealt a devastating blow to Sepahan's aspirations, especially after Ramin Rezaeian had given the hosts the lead in the 37th minute.

However, Malcom's close-range strike in the 57th minute canceled out Rezaeian's goal, and Mohammad Daneshgar's red card in the 76th minute tilted the match in Al Hilal's favor.

The two teams will meet again in Riyadh next Thursday.

Rezaeian managed to put Sepahan ahead by evading Al Hilal's high defensive line and expertly smashing a right-footed shot past Yassine Bounou.

But Al Hilal silenced the Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium when Mitrovic's strike was saved by Payam Niazmand, only for Malcom to score from the rebound.

Daneshgar's reckless tackle on Al Hamdan resulted in a red card 14 minutes before the end of the match, giving Al Hilal control.

Mitrovic then outjumped Rezaeian to head in Saud Abdulhamid's cross, and Al Hamdan sealed the victory with a clinical finish.

Meanwhile, Al Ittihad was held to a goalless draw by Uzbekistan's Navbahor in Namangan, as the Saudi Pro League champions played without former France international striker Karim Benzema.

Former continental champions Ulsan Hyundai took a significant step towards the quarter-finals by defeating Japanese second division side Ventforet Kofu 3-0 at Ulsan Munsu Stadium. Joo Min-kyu scored twice in eight minutes before halftime, and Seol Young-woo added a third goal 16 minutes into the second half.

The two teams will meet in Tokyo next week, with Kofu facing a difficult task to overcome the deficit as the first second division side to reach the knockout rounds of the competition.

In the first leg of their battle, Jeonbuk Motors secured a 2-0 victory over fellow South Koreans Pohang Steelers on Wednesday.

Kawasaki Frontale, a Japanese team, currently maintains a 3-2 lead against Shandong Taishan, a team from the Chinese Super League. On the other hand, Yokohama F Marinos squandered a two-goal advantage and settled for a 2-2 draw against Bangkok United.

Moving on to the western half of the draw, Cristiano Ronaldo netted the sole goal as Al Nassr triumphed over their Saudi counterparts, Al Fayha, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates played out a goalless draw against Nasaf, hailing from Uzbekistan.