Al Sadd had already booked one ticket to the knock-out stage from Group D, leaving Al Ahli and Pakhtakor to battle for the second spot. With eight points to their name, the visitors needed just a draw from the Matchday Six fixture to advance, while for Al Ahli only a win would do.

Having already secured their place in the Round of 16, Al Sadd needed a point to ensure they ended the group stage in top spot, while Persepolis had already been eliminated and sat bottom of the group with four points.

With a Round of 16 place already in the bag, Al Duhail opted to rest the likes of Medhi Benatia and Almoez Ali. They were also without the services of injured defender Bassam Al Rawi.

With the first clear-cut chance of the game, Al Ain took the lead through Marcus Berg 13 minutes in. The Swedish international striker brought the ball over the halfway line before supplying it to Bandar Al Ahbabi wide on the right.

Berg then charged into the penalty box to get on the end of Al Ahbabi’s return pass and apply a composed first-time finish through the legs of Seyed Hosseini for the opening goal.

Four knockout round berths remain up for grabs in the East Zone while just one spot is still available in the West. Ahead of the final set of group stagefixtures, the-AFC.com has chosen five things to look out for.

Since they first appeared in the AFC Champions League in their maiden tournament in 2016, Shanghai SIPG have reached at least the Round of 16 in all three Continental campaigns.

However, failure to win against unbeaten Group H winners Ulsan, coupled with a Kawasaki Frontale win away at Sydney FC, would see that proud record end. And so, China PR international Wang Shenchao is well aware of the significance of the tie at Shanghai Stadium.

Four places have already been decided as Shandong Luneng, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors all secured a spot in the knockout stages a fortnight ago.

But four tickets to the last 16 still remain up for grabs for the teams from the East Zone, with some exciting encounters set for Tuesday and Wednesday.