The Round of 16 stage promises to be a thrilling affair with several former AFC Champions League winners taking their place alongside teams who will be aiming to win the coveted title for the first time.

The visitors needed no more than six minutes to go in front as Hamdan Al Shamrani penetrated into the 18-yard-box from the left wing and pulled back a pass to Salah Al Amri who converted the ball from a narrow angle into the back of the net to give his team an early lead.

Needing to win by a two-goal margin to finish top, Al Jazira pushed forward in search of the equaliser but failed to take their chances, with only Ali Mabkhout coming close to levelling the scoring with a header that ended on the wrong side of the post in the 13th minute.

While the hosts were looking for the equaliser, Al Ahli's Salman Al Muwashar was afforded space to break through on the counter and found Moamen Zakaria who extended the Saudis advantage with a curled strike from the edge of the box into the right corner of the net leaving the goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Ameri helpless right on the half-hour mark.

Al Rayyan and Al Ain locked horns in Doha with a place in the knock-out stages up for grabs, and it was the visitors who emerged on top with a comprehensive 4-1 win, thanks to smart wing play and lethal finishing.