Stanojevic salutes Berdiev's quality after Nasaf wonder show

The Serbian playmaker opened the scoring with a thunderous drive inside three minutes to give his side a comfortable cushion against Al Wehdat who from that point needed to score four goals to snatch the last 16 ticket.

Mohammad Anas’ header equalised for the Jordanians before the break, but Husain Norchaev restored Nasaf’s lead just before the hour-mark and Mohannad Abu Taha’s late goal was merely consolation, with the draw sealing the last of the three best runners-up spots for Berdiev’s men.

The result keeps BG Pathum United two points clear of the A-League champions on top of Group G after five of six Matchdays, with a victory over Jeonnam Dragons on Saturday to secure top spot in the section.

The path is trickier for Melbourne City, who can still leapfrog the Rabbits, particularly if they win their final match against United City, but will potentially need results in other groups to fall in their favour if they finish second, with only the best three runners-up in the East Zone to advance.

Having collected just the single point in their opening two matches, Ulsan were staring at the prospect of an early exit with defeat to their Japanese opponents almost certain to seal their passage home.

But an impressive run of three successive wins has propelled Ulsan into second place and Leonardo, who was instrumental in all three of his side’s goals – scoring Ulsan’s opener before assisting Um Won-sang and Vako Qazaishvili – is brimming with confidence as the Horangi head into their final winner-takes-all battle against Johor Darul Ta’zim on Saturday.