The Iranian side came from 2-0 down on aggregate to record a 3-2 victory, with goals from Jalal Hosseini, and Godwin Mensha either side of a Sultan Al Brake own goal helping them turn the tie around at Azadi Stadium.

Coming into the home second leg with a slim one-goal disadvantage, Persepolis found themselves another goal down after 33 minutes as Al Duhail captain Karim Boudiaf capitalised on a poor defensive clearance.

Al Duhail took the lead in the 33rd minute after Persepolis defender Shojae Khalilzadeh’s attempted clearance of Murad Naji’s free-kick bounced off Karim Boudiaf and into the back of the net to give the Qataris a crucial away goal.

Bashar Resan nearly equalised for the hosts in the 56th minute after snatching the ball from the Al Duhail defenders and advancing on goal, but his effort from the edge of the box was tipped behind by goalkeeper Amine Lecomte.

The resulting corner kick brought Persepolis their first goal of the quarter-finals after the cross skimmed the heads of strikers Godwin Mensha and Ali Alipour before ending up at the feet of skipper Seyed Jalal Hossein, who converted on the half-volley to bring his side back from the dead in the 57th minute.

 

The game's first shot on target arrived in the 15th minute, when Esteghlal midfielder Mehdi Ghayedi's effort was kept out by Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Aissa.

The hosts took time to settle into the game but showed just how dangerous they can be as the first half went on. Hassan Al Haydos fashioned a goalscoring opportunity out of nothing in the 26th minute, topping off a great run with a stinging shot, forcing a save out of Mehdi Rahmati.

Just a minute later, Al Sadd broke the deadlock through Akram Afif. The youngster picked up Baghdad Bounedjah's lay-off in the box before lashing in an unstoppable shot past Rahmati to give his side a 4-1 aggregate lead.

Esteghlal's reply arrived in the 32nd minute when they equalised with the help of some good fortune. Rouhollah Bagheri's strike was fumbled by Aissa and the ball fell into the net, levelling the score on the night.

 

The first leg of the 2018 AFC Champions League quarter-finals produced two wins for the home sides and as many for visitors. But the competition's history shows the four winners there can be no room for complacency following a first leg victory.

The quarter-finals were introduced in the AFC Champions League back in 2004, and since then we have witnessed some iconic returns after disappointing first leg ties, the-AFC.com recalls three extraordinary comebacks ahead of the second legs.

An initially tight first leg remained scoreless until the final 15 minutes, when Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanovic netted twice before Han Eui-kwon also got on the scoresheet to leave the 2006 and 2016 AFC Champions League winners staring elimination in the face.

Jeonbuk now need to score at least three at Suwon World Cup Stadium to have any chance of remaining in the competition, while the hosts will know a goal would all but kill the tie off as they look to secure their second appearance in the semi-finals.

Second-half goals from Brazilian duo Leo Silva and Serginho gave Kashima a 2-0 victory in the first leg three weeks ago and left the J.League team in a strong position to advance to the last four in what is their eighth appearance in the tournament.

Debutants Tianjin face an uphill challenge, meanwhile, in the knowledge that should Kashima score an away goal then the Chinese Super League side will need to record a three-goal winning margin to remain in the competition.

An impressive 3-0 win in the first leg might have some penciling Suwon's name into the semi-finals, but you write off two-time AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk at your peril.

And it's a mistake that Yeom is adamant his side will not be making at Suwon World Cup Stadium.