The precious 2-1 home win cuts Beijing's lead at the top to just two points from the reigning champions and blows the title race wide open with just over a third of the season gone.

Sebastian Tagliabue was the star of the night at the Al Nahyan Stadium when he headed home in the 87th minute to ensure Al Wahda leapfrogged Al Ain to finish third in the standings on goal difference with 46 points. The Argentinian also clinched the topscorer award with 27 goals to his name, having played 25 matches.

Substitute Sho Ito scored twice to earn Kashima a 2-1 win over Shandong Luneng and a place in the next round, when they will play fellow J.League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima over two legs in June.

A further 16 teams – along with Spanish legend Xavi – have now departed the competition. Ahead of the month-long break, here's the-AFC.com's look back at the week in numbers.

Photos: Getty Images

Sleepless nights, title repeats, super subs, hellos and goodbyes all feature as the-AFC.com talks to those involved in the latest edition of the Continent's most presitigious competition.

Kuala Lumpur: Yasuto Wakizaka has been named the Toyota Player of the Week after the attacking midfielder bagged a brace in Kawasaki Frontale’s 4-0 away victory at Sydney FC on Tuesday.

Making his first start in the 2019 AFC Champions League, Wakizaka fired his side in front from distance early in the game before finishing off a nice team move to double Kawasaki’s advantage on the 20-minute mark.

The 23-year-old also created a weekly high seven chances for his teammates as he earned a 9.6 rating, although the J.League team narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout rounds after Shanghai SIPG’s victory over Ulsan Hyundai saw the Chinese side claim the Group H runners-up spot.

Shanghai’s Brazilian midfielder Oscar came second in the rankings after he scored a hat-trick in a resounding 5-0 win over Group H winners Ulsan to ensure his team joined the Koreans in the last 16.