The Chinese Super League teams played out a scoreless draw in Tianjin last week to mean an away goal on Tuesday could leave Guangzhou in real trouble, and that was exactly how the match panned out as a 2-2 draw at Tianhe Stadium saw the visitors advance on away goals.

Guangzhou started the brighter of the two teams, with Alan and Nemanja Gudelj both sending efforts narrowly wide early on before Ricardo Goulart gave the hosts the lead in the 17th minute, with the ball ricocheting home off the Brazilian after Tianjin goalkeeper Zhang Lu could only parry another Alan effort against his shin.

Tianjin didn’t take long to strike back though, with Paulo Sousa’s side level almost immediately as Alexandre Pato beat Zheng Zhi to an Axel Witsel cross from the left of the area to head home from close range in the 19th minute.

The two-time continental champions lost the first leg 3-2 in Thailand but Son Jun-ho’s stoppage-time away goal had left the K League 1 side in a strong position ahead of the reverse fixture at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.

Ricardo Lopes volleyed home a superb opener inside 20 minutes to ease any nerves on Tuesday and, after dominating the game, Lee Jae-sung curled in a fabulous free-kick with six minutes remaining as Jeonbuk sealed a 2-0 victory to return to the last eight.

Ricardo Lopes opened the scoring on the night and levelled the tie on aggregate in the 18th minute at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, volleying home crisply after Kim Shin-wook had headed a Lee Yong cross back to him on the edge of the area.

That shifted the advantage in Jeonbuk’s favour after their two away goals in the 3-2 first leg defeat in Thailand, but Buriram nearly re-assumed the initiative just before half time as Jakkaphan Kaewprom struck against the angle of post and bar in the 45th minute.

After a tense start, Esteghlal were awarded a penalty kick inside 11 minutes and Senegalese forward Thiam fired from the spot into the bottom left corner, taking the tie back to square one.

Hamid Bouhamdan came close to levelling the score for Zobahan in the 29th minute but his shot from the left cannoned off the woodwork.

As the first half neared its end, Thiam was on target again, this time from outside the box as he curled a left-footed effort that left goalkeeper Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri helpless to put Esteghlal in front four minutes before the break.

After a 96th-minute Al Jazira goal saw the Emirati side claim a 3-2 win in the first leg in Abu Dhabi last week, Persepolis went into the return meeting needing a win to have any chance of progressing to the quarter-finals for the second successive year.

The hosts dominated but had to wait until just after the hour to take the lead through Ahmad Nourollahi’s stunning effort from distance, only for Brazilian Romarinho to level and silence a packed Azadi Stadium shortly after.

But Persepolis kept pushing forward and eventually got the winner their performance deserved when Hosseini, who was suspended for the first leg, fired home from 15 yards after Al Jazira had failed to clear a delivery from the left.

The hosts wasted no time in taking full control and were rewarded with a goal inside 11 minutes when Nam Tae-hee advanced down the left and sent a low ball across the goalmouth that was inadvertently converted by defender Mohamed Ahmad past his own goalkeeper.

Al Duhail doubled their tally at the half-hour mark through Youssef El Arabi who stabbed in Ismail Mohammad’s powerful cross from the right flank.

Very little changed after the break as the Qataris continued to attack in numbers and soon found the net for a third time. El Arabi sent defender Sultan Al Brake through on goal and the latter attempted to lob goalkeeper Khalid Eisa who was able to get his fingertips on the ball before it fell for Mohammad who tapped into the empty net in the 54th minute.