Leading scorer Baghdad Bounedjah and Spanish superstar Xavi may have hogged the headlines as Al Sadd reached the AFC Champions League semi-finals, but it is young Qatari talent Akram Afif who has been one of the real success stories of the Doha club's continental campaign.

And according to the 21-year-old forward, who was recently named AFC Champions League Toyota Player of the Week, the best is very much still to come.

Kuala Lumpur: Akram Afif has been named the Toyota Player of the Week after the forward played a starring role in Al Sadd’s 2-2 draw with Esteghlal in the second leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-final on Monday as the Qatari side advanced 5-3 on aggregate.

With Al Sadd leading 3-1 from the first leg, Afif burst into the box to open the scoring with a low, angled drive before, with his side 2-1 down on the night, the 21-year-old was brought down for a penalty in injury time as the hosts salvaged a 2-2 draw to advance.

Afif had five attempts on goal, posted a passing accuracy of 86 percent and created three chances for his teammates as he scored an 8.0 rating to help Al Sadd return to the semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2011.

Second in this week’s ranking is Kashima Antlers midfielder Serginho (pictured below), who scored for the second successive game against Tianjin Quanjian as the Japanese side claimed a 3-0 second-leg win to progress to their first ever AFC Champions League semi-final 5-0 on aggregate.

Just four teams remain in the hunt for continental glory, while Al Duhail, Esteghlal, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Tianjin Quanjin will hope to return for another shot in 2019. As the tournament edges closer to its finale, the-AFC.com takes a look back at the facts and figures from the latest round of fixtures.

Photos: Getty Images

This was one of the best games in the world this year! We won three zero there, they won three zero here, a missed penalty in stoppage time - a crazy game, but great for Asian football. I am so tired, but so happy that we made it to the semi-finals.

Dejan Damjanovic shares his thoughts on Suwon Samsung Bluewings' rollercoaster quarter-finals tie with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, after the hosts came out on top 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 aggregate draw.

That wrapped up a 5-0 aggregate scoreline for the Japanese side, who ensured their smooth progression with an efficient display all over the pitch.

The 2011 winners advanced to the next stage on the back of a 5-3 aggregate win, having defeated the Iranian team 3-1 in the first leg in Tehran.