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Al Sadd lose to Sepahan but qualify; Al Taawoun shatter Al Duhail dreams

Al Sadd lose to Sepahan but qualify; Al Taawoun shatter Al Duhail dreams Doha: Qatar's Al Sadd and Al Duhail had contrasting fortunes in the 2020 AFC Champions League West Zone matches played in Doha. Al Sadd qualified for the round of 16 while Duhail failed to make the cut. On Thursday, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sepahan FC ended their 2020 AFC Champions League on a high after defeating Al Sadd SC 2-1 in Group D . Sepahan had already been eliminated, having collected just four points from their previous five games, while Al Sadd had booked their place in the Round of 16 with a game to spare. Al Sadd coach Xavi made 10 changes to his starting XI that played out a 1-1 draw against Al Nassr three days earlier, with only centre-back Tarek Salman retaining his place in the team, before being swapped for Abdelkarim Hassan at half time. After a lively start to the game, Sepahan found the back of the net with their first major chance. Daniel Esmaeilifar sent a long ball down the right flank behind Al Sadd left-back Bahaa Mamdouh allowing Reza Mirzaei to control and lob Salman before firing with his left into the bottom corner to open the scoring in the 14th minute. Al Sadd regrouped and saw more of the ball in the following minutes with veteran Rodrigo Tabata at the heart of their attacking play. With eight minutes to go until the break, the 39-year-old drove from midfield and attempted an effort from range that grazed the side netting. Four minutes later he sent a cross from a left-sided set-piece that evaded everyone and needed a save from goalkeeper Seyedpayam Nizamandghader at the far post. Sepahan retook the initiative in the second half and within six minutes of the restart Soroush Rafiei had beaten goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham with a header from close range but watched his ball ricochet off the upright. The Iranian pressure mounted on Al Sadd defences, producing a second goal in the 53rd minute. Mirzaei advanced into the byline from the right wing and sent a across that was parried by Barsham into the path of Sajjad Shabazzadeh who applied the finish to double Sepahan’s lead. Eight minutes before the final whistle, Yusuf Abdurisaq pounced on a light back pass from Esmaeilifar to his goalkeeper and squared for Hashim Ali who was left with a simple tap in to make it 2-1. The result means Al Sadd finish in second place of Group D with nine points and will face the Group C winners in the Round of 16. Sepahan end their campaign in third place with seven points. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Al Taawoun FC snatched a ticket to the 2020 AFC Champions League Round-of-16 after defeating Al Duhail 1-0 in Group C on Thursday. The two sides had met on Matchday Two, when Al Taawoun scored a 2-0 home win courtesy of goals from Mohamed Al Sahlawi and Abdulmajeed Al Swat. The first half was cagey and featured missed chances by Mohammed Musa, Edmilson Junior and Dudu for Al Duhail as well as Cedric Amissi for the Buraidah based side. Deep into stoppage time in the first half, Cassio expertly denied Almoez Ali who struck from the left. Junior threatened 55 minutes in, and after a break by his side, the Belgian cut inside from the left flank beating two players before curling an effort in from range that Cassio gratefully clutched into his arms. Amissi got another chance to make his mark on proceedings when he attempted a free-kick on goal, after teammate Al Sahlawi was fouled down the flank. Amissi’s shot was timid, and keeper Mohammed Al Bakri punched away with ease. The Burundi man got the exact same chance again from the left flank, this time forcing Al Bakri into a save that resulted in a corner; the one which saw a clashing of heads between Ali and Australian striker Mitchell Duke that took a few minutes of stoppage to treat. The match exploded into life in the final 10 minutes, with Al Duhail missing a golden chance to open the scoring through Ismail Mohammed, who was through on goal with just the keeper to beat and chipped, but substitute Saad Yaslam managed to reach the ball and clear off the line. A bandaged Duke then dramatically sealed the tie for Al Taawoun after breaking free from his marker in the area to meet Sultan Mandash’s corner and put the ball past Al Bakri. The result sees Al Duhail crash out of the competition, while Al Taawoun qualify to the Round of 16 for the first time in their history. Persepolis' 4-0 win over Sharjah in the other Group C fixture means Al Taawoun will face fellow Saudi side Al Nassr in the next round while Persepolis play Al Sadd.