The two sides went head to head again after they had faced each other on Monday in a match that was decided by a piece of individual brilliance from youngster Hareb Abdalla.

Al Ahli had already qualified to the Round of 16 going into Matchday Four, but needed a point to secure the top spot in the group, while for Al Shorta, beating Al Ahli would mean they would need just one point against Esteghlal in Matchday Five to progress.

The Australian forward joined Al Taawoun from J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse in August and made his AFC Champions League debut in the team’s 1-0 defeat to Persepolis on Tuesday.

Chances were few and far between on the night, but Duke had the biggest of them for the Saudi side when his effort from five yards out was rescued by goalkeeper Hamed Lak and the former Western Sydney Wanderers forward saw his attempt from the rebound denied again by the Persepolis goalkeeper.

Bawazir, a UAE international playmaker, joined Sharjah from fellow UAE Pro League side Al Dhafra in July and came off the bench in the second half for his competitive debut for the club.

Suspensions for Uzbek international Otabek Shukurov and Mohammad Abdulbasit, both of whom received their second booking in the competition on Tuesday, means Bawazir is set to be handed his first start at the club in the Matchday Four fixture.

The two sides had played out a thrilling 3-3 draw on Tuesday, with Al Ain taking the lead and Al Sadd equalising twice, before the Qataris took the lead at the hour mark through Baghdad Bounedjah, but a Boualem Khoukhi own goal ensured the points were shared in the competition’s joint highest scoring game to date.

The draw meant inaugural AFC Champions League winners Al Ain took their first point of the current edition but remained in fourth place, while Al Sadd conceded the Group D top spot to Al Nassr, dropping to second with six points.

Striker Abderrazak Hamdallah settled matters with a brace at the Jassem bin Hamad stadium on Tuesday, scoring either side of the half time break while teammate Brad Jones pulled off a number of saves to stave off a late rally by the Iran Pro League side.

The result helped the 2018/19 Saudi Pro League champions leapfrog Al Sadd SC to first place in the group on seven points, while it left Sepahan in third place with three points and needing a win in Friday’s rematch to avoid falling out of contention for a Round of 16 spot.

It was high octane action from the first blow of the referee's whistle in Doha on Monday as Asia's finest resumed their campaigns in the continent's biggest club tournament.

Seventeen goals were scored in the seven matches that were played in Groups A to D as the fans watching the action on their television screens were treated to a goal fest.

Join the-AFC.com as we pay tribute to the players who lit up Matchday 3 with their goal-scoring exploits.