The 39-year-old midfield genius, who helped Spain win the World Cup in 2010 and won four UEFA Champions League titles and eight La Liga titles with Barcelona, was cheered by fans at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran where already-eliminated Persepolis produced an improved display to register only their second win in six matches.

Having already secured their place in the Round of 16, Al Sadd needed a point to ensure they ended the group stage in top spot, while Persepolis had already been eliminated and sat bottom of the group with four points.

Brazilian winger Edmilson was Al Duhail's star, scoring a brace and assisting another as Duhail denied Al Sadd the chance to add the Amir Cup to the 2018-19 Qatar Stars League title they had already won.

Defeat meant a losing end for Spanish legend Xavi, who was playing his final match for Al Sadd.

Xavi, who has been playing for Al Sadd since 2015, said that he will move into coaching after hanging up his boots.

Xavi, who played a record 767 times for Spanish giants Barcelona and earned 133 caps with Spain, announced his retirement plans in an open letter to the Spanish media on Thursday.

Three years ago, Guangzhou Evergrande were eliminated from the Group Stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League in stunning circumstance as the defending champions crashed out.

Kashima Antlers, winners of the 2018 title, are determined to avoid a similar fate.

They will need to ensure they get at least a point at home to Group E winners Shandong to avoid being overtaken by Gyeongnam FC or Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), who play in the other Wednesday tie.

Japanese star Honda, 32, will don Victory colours for the last time when the club host Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Wednesday's 2019 AFC Champions League group stage finale.

One of the greatest Asian footballers of his generation, Honda made a significant impact on the A-League when he signed on for Victory in August 2018.

Four knockout round berths remain up for grabs in the East Zone while just one spot is still available in the West. Ahead of the final set of group stagefixtures, the-AFC.com has chosen five things to look out for.