JEDDAH — Midfielder Mustafa Al Bassas scored five minutes from the end of extra-time to secure a 2-1 come-from-behind win for Al Ahli over Kuwait's Qadsia SC on Tuesday as the Saudi club advanced to the group stage of the AFC Champions League at King Abdullah Sports City. AFC Cup holders Qadsia took the lead shortly after the half hour mark through a stunning strike from Bader Al Motawaa but with seven minutes of the tie remaining Omar Al Soma levelled for the hosts from the penalty spot, after an infringement that saw Khaled Al Qahtani red carded, and forced extra-time. And it was Al Bassas' late winner that ensured Al Ahli take their place in Group D alongside Hazfi Cup winners Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran, the United Arab Emirates champions Al Ahli and Uzbek club Nasaf Qarshi. Guangzhou R&F and Beijing Guoan won their AFC Champions League playoffs to advance to the group stage, strengthening the Chinese presence in the continent's premier club competition. China international Jiang Ning scored after eight minutes and provided a second-half assist for Lu Lin as Guangzhou defeated Australia's Central Coast Mariners 3-1 to secure its maiden appearance in the tournament. A brace for Pablo Batalla and a goal from Song Boxuan took Beijing to a 3-0 win over Thai FA Cup winner Bangkok Glass as the Chinese Super League runner-up made it a seventh appearance in the tournament in eight seasons. Guangzhou will join Japan's Gamba Osaka, South Korea's Seongnam FC and Thai Buriram United in Group F while Beijing will play Australia's Brisbane Roar, Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds and South Korean Suwon Bluewings in Group G. Chinese champion Guangzhou Evergrande and FA Cup winner Shandong Luneng are the other Chinese teams in the competition. Continental powerhouses Japan and South Korea also have four sides through. Asian Cup winner Australia has two while Vietnam and Thailand have one club each. In late matches Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan edged Al-Jazira of United Arab Emirates 2-1; and Naft Tehran of Iran beat Al-Jaish of Qatar 1-0. “We scored very fast and this opened the game up, then it was more difficult to attack us as we had more space and we have players who can make very good counter-attacks,” Guangzhou coach Cosmin Contra, who replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson in December, told reporters at Central Coast Stadium. “We were lucky on some occasions as they pushed very hard in the second half.” Josh Rose conceded a bizarre own goal for the Australian side when his over-hit back pass from inside his own half wrong-footed the goalkeeper with less than two minutes remaining. Glen Trifiro scored a stoppage-time free kick for the host to reduce the margin. 2013 finalist FC Seoul proved too strong for Hanoi T&T, scoring four goals in the first half on the way to a 7-0 thrashing of the Vietnamese team. Seoul advanced to Group H where it will face defending champion Western Sydney Wanderers, 2013 winner Guangzhou Evergrande and Japanese side Kashima Antlers. Japan's Kashiwa Reysol needed a second goal from Brazilian striker Leandro in extra-time to beat Thailand's Chonburi 3-2 after the match ended 2-2 in regulation. Kashiwa twice took the lead but the plucky Thai outfit came back both times before Leandro's header secured their passage to Group E alongside former champion Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea, China's Shandong and Vietnamese side Binh Duong. ‘No match-fixing at Asian Cup' Asia's football body Tuesday urged other sports governing bodies in the region to follow its lead after the flagship Asian Cup passed off with no evidence of match-fixing. Corruption has long plagued Asian sport but the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said extensive planning and monitoring had kept the fixers at bay. “The effective implementation of this action plan could be a blueprint for other Asian sporting events and sports governing bodies,” AFC General Secretary Alex Soosay said in a statement. — Agencies
