Neither side was able to break the deadlock after a thrilling first quarter. However, the tide turned and Jeddah National took a 1-0 lead in the second half in the 70th minute after a clever assist from Mahrez and a precise header from Ivan Toni. In the 74th minute, Mahrez assisted again and Ivan Toni scored twice to make the score 2-0, and although Kaku scored in the 92nd minute to save Al Ain's life, the final score was 1-2, and Al Ain lost. The victory gave Jeddah National a five-game winning streak and a 15-point lead to temporarily top the West Asia Zone standings. With a 13-point lead over 9th-placed Persepolis, they advanced to the Round of 16 three rounds ahead of schedule, becoming the first team to advance to the knockout stages of this season's AFC Champions League. On the other side, the match between Tehran Independence and Tashkent Cotton Bears was equally uneventful. Tehran Independence had 60% of the possession and 3 out of 5 shots on goal, while Tashkent Meanwhile, Tashkent Meanwhile had 5 shots on goal but not a single goal. In the end, the two sides shook hands 0-0. Four exciting matches will be played in the East Asia Region today: Ulsan Hyundai vs Shanghai Seaport (18:00), Kobe Victory vs Chuo Coastal Mariners (18:00), Shandong Taishan vs Johor Bahru (20:00), and Buriram United vs Kawasaki Frontale (20:00).
Shanghai Seaport will face South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai, who are the only team in East Asia to have lost four straight matches to start the season with zero points, and the Chinese Super League champions will be looking for all three points. Meanwhile, Shandong Taishan are in their home finale following the suspension of manager Choi Kang-hee.
