Sharjah had secured the top spot in the group and a place in the Round of 16, but Tractor were hopeful a win coupled with other results going their way could keep them in the competition, having gone five games undefeated and collected seven points prior to Thursday.

With both sides already eliminated and playing for pride, Air Force Club went into the match still looking for a first group stage win since 2008, while 2020 AFC Champions League quarter-finalists Pakhtakor looked to sign off with their first win of the current campaign.

Goals from Abderrazak Hamdallah and Abdulelah Al Amri either side of half-time put the group hosts within sight of the knockout stage, before Santi Cazorla made for a nervy finale when he pulled a goal back from the penalty spot with seven minutes remaining.

While Al Nassr can look forward to September’s Round of 16, Al Sadd will need to wait until Friday night to see if their final tally of 10 points will be good enough for them to qualify as one of the best three runners-up.

FC Istiklol and Al Hilal are both on 10 points going into Matchday Six but the Tajikistan side will seal top spot should they beat AGMK FC, thanks to a better head-to-head against the 2019 AFC Champions League winners.

Thirteen points, however, may well be enough to take Al Hilal through, with the three best runners-up from the five West groups also advancing to the Round of 16.

A win for Istiklol will mean they will finish as group winners in their debut campaign, irrespective of the Al Hilal FC-Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, with the Tajikistan champions having a better head-to-head record against the 2019 AFc Champions League winners.

Victory will take Esteghlal to 11 points but with Al Duhail of Qatar playing Al Ahli Saudi FC in the group's later match, the Islamic Republic of Iran side will only know their fate hours after their tie against Al Shorta with all three teams tied on eights points going into Matchday Six, setting the stage for an exciting finish to Group C.

Both are tied on eight with Esteghlal FC, with the Islamic Republic of Iran side playing Iraq's Al Shorta earlier on Friday, with only the group winners assured of advancing to the Round of 16.

The three best runners-up from the five AFC Champions League West groups will also advance, meaning Al Duhail and Al Ahli Saudi will have all to play for even if Esteghlal beat Al Shorta.