A brace from Moroccan Abderrazak Hamdallah either side of the halftime break secured the points at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium even as Sepahan rallied late on to try and salvage something from the game but to no avail.

Al Nassr top Group D with seven points from three games, having extended their unbeaten run in the 2020 edition to three games, but the task is far from over for the Riyadh based side at the halfway point of the group stage, according to manager Vitoria.

A brace from Moroccan forward Abderazzaq Hamdallah steered the Saudi Arabia club to their second win as they stayed unbeaten to go top of the group.

Al Obaid said Al Nassr's ability to control the match helped them seal the hugely important win.

The two sides went into the game with a point separating them; with Al Nassr in second place with four points needing a win to keep them at arm’s length from third-placed Sepahan.

Kodjo Laba opened the scoring for Al Ain early on. 2019 AFC Footballer of the Year Akram Afif equalised on 35 minutes, shortly before Bauyrzhan Islamkhan hammered home a contender for goal of the tournament to put Al Ain ahead before half time.

A debut goal from Santi Cazorla followed by a Baghdad Bounedjah tap-in put Al Sadd ahead before friendly fire from Boualem Khoukhi put the game back on equal terms. The result meant Al Sadd slipped down to second place on five points after Al Nassr managed a win against Sepahan FC, while Al Ain took their first point of the campaign yet remained bottom of the group, four points off second place.

The Qatar champions registered their second win in the group with the 2019 AFC Asian Cup top scorer opening the scoring before Rami Rezaeian added the second with Igor Coronado pulling a goal back for Sharjah from the penalty spot.

While Ali stressed that getting the three points was important, he said Al Duhail's superior performance meant they should have scored more goals at the Education City Stadium.

A late goal from Shojae Khalilzadeh goal gave the Islamic Republic of Iran side their first win of the competition and moved them to two points behind Al Taawoun, who remained on top despite the defeat.

Resan said Persepolis' runaway victory in the Iran Pro League fuelled their desire to get the win.

Second half substitute Hattan Bahebri scored a late winner to steer the defending champions to a third consecutive victory as the Saudi Arabia club took spot in the group and edged closer to the knockout stage.

Captain Abdullah Al Mayouf said Al Hilal, missing six players who had tested positive for COVID-19, didn't start the match well but managed to take advantage of their numerical superiority to win.