Al-Sadd secure spot in Asian Champions League last 16 with victory over Al-Nassr

Adam Ounas converted a penalty in injury time, securing a 2-1 victory for Al-Sadd against Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr on Monday. This triumph propels the Qatari team into the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League Elite.

With this result, Al-Sadd joins the ranks of Saudi clubs Al Nassr, who played without Cristiano Ronaldo during their defeat in Riyadh, Al Hilal, and Al Ahli, all of whom have secured their places in the last 16 of the restructured continental tournament.

Al Ahli, meanwhile, required two penalties from Ivan Toney to earn a 2-2 draw against Esteghlal, marking the end of their perfect home record. Additionally, Persepolis triumphed over Al Shorta with a score of 2-1, while Al Wasl and Al Rayyan played to a 1-1 draw.

The draw for Al Ahli signifies the first time the Jeddah-based club has dropped points in this competition, following five consecutive victories that assured their advancement to the knockout stage.

Under the guidance of Matthias Jaissle, Al Ahli has accumulated 16 points from six matches, maintaining a three-point lead over Al Hilal, who are set to face Qatar's Al Gharafa on Tuesday.

The top eight teams from both the Western and Eastern league tables will advance to the round of 16, scheduled for March.

With Al-Sadd's late victory, half of the available spots on the western side of the draw have now been filled, allowing Felix Sanchez's team to progress to the knockout rounds.

Afif, the current Asian Player of the Year, opened the scoring for Al-Sadd in the 53rd minute, skillfully finishing after a run from the halfway line. Although Romain Saiss inadvertently scored an own goal in the 80th minute from Wesley's dangerous cross, Ounas ultimately secured the win by converting a penalty after Afif was fouled in the box during injury time.

Al Ahli faced challenges as they had to recover twice after falling behind. They trailed for the first time when Rafael Silva scored for Iran's Esteghlal with a volley past Edouardo Mendy just three minutes before halftime.

Toney equalized from the penalty spot eight minutes into stoppage time following a foul by Didier Ndong on Fahad Al-Rashidi. However, Esteghlal regained the lead six minutes into the second half when Mohammad Hossein Eslami's shot deflected over Mendy.

Eslami's red card with nine minutes remaining intensified the pressure on the visitors, and with four minutes left, Toney converted a second penalty to secure a point for the home team.

In Doha, Oston Urunov and a penalty from Giorgi Gvelesiani in the 103rd minute led Persepolis to their first victory in the competition against Al Shorta, after Mohannad Ali had given the Iraqi side an early lead with a well-placed lob in the 19th minute.

In another match, Caio Canedo's goal for Al Wasl in the 77th minute was equalized by an own goal from Salem Al-Azizi just eight minutes later, allowing Qatar's Al Rayyan to earn a point in their encounter in Dubai.