A pacey and clinical striker at his peak, Majidi was a key member of the Al Ain side that lifted the inaugural AFC Champions League in 2002-03.

In the semi-final against China PR’s Dalian Shide, Al Ain had won the first leg at home 4-2, but the Chinese side had clawed the difference, winning 4-2 in Dalian. That is until Majidi received the ball on the edge of the area, dribbled past one defender and finished into the bottom corner to send his side to the final with a 7-6 aggregate score.

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.

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.

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.

The 39-year-old midfield genius, who helped Spain win the World Cup in 2010 and won four UEFA Champions League titles and eight La Liga titles with Barcelona, was cheered by fans at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran where already-eliminated Persepolis produced an improved display to register only their second win in six matches.

Kim scored the third goal against the Chinese Super League team on Matchday Two as tournament debutants Daegu claimed a 3-1 victory and underlined their status as genuine qualification contenders with the scalp of the two-time champions.

Just over two months on and Daegu travel to Tianhe Stadium two points ahead of their hosts in the battle for the group’s runners-up spot and knowing if they avoid defeat, a place in the last 16 will be theirs.