Jazira of UAE stunned Al-Ittihad with a 1-1 draw in the AFC Champions League at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here Wednesday. However, things could have been much better for Jeddah side which took the lead through defender Osamah Al-Harbi in the first half. A win could secure an early passage into the second stage for the two–time winner but second half goal by Joao Fernando canceled Al-Ittihad lead to revive Al-Jazira hopes in Group C. In another match at Rashed Stadium in Dubai, Riyadh's Al-Hilal came from behind to beat the home team Al-Ahli 3-1 before the Saudi side was reduced to ten players when striker Yasser Al-Qahtani was sent off. Al-Ahli Egyptian midfielder Hosny Abd Rabuh put the home team ahead three minutes after the kickoff but Libyan Tariq Al-Taib equalized for Al-Hilal in the midway of the first half. Romanian Mirel Radoi doubled the score for Al-Hilal shortly after the break before Al-Qahtani sealed the victory in the 63rd minute. Al-Hilal comes second in Group A with eight points in four games, two points behind Uzbek Pakhtakor which secured a seat in the quarterfinals following a 2-1 win over Saba Battery of Iran. Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad maintained the top spot in Group C on eight points and needs two more points in the next two games to join the last 16 teams. First half was totally dominated by the home team but its first scoring attempt came in the 25th minute when Brazilian Renato's header was saved by Al-Jazira goalkeeper Ali Al-Khasif. Ten minutes later, Al-Harbi had another attempt but the right post of Al-Jazira saved the situation. In the 40th minute, Al-Harbi put Al-Ittihad ahead as he headed Hicham Aboucherouane's cross to the right side of Khasif. Things changed after the break as Al-Jazira launched many threats on Taiser Al-Netaif's side but he could only stand firm until the 71st minute. It was Brazilian Joao Fernando who netted the equalizer after he blasted the ball from inside the box to the center of Al-Ittihad's net. In Group C, Iranian side Esteghlals chances look increasingly slim after it drew 1-1 with Qatar's Umm Salal in Tehran. In Group E Yoshizumi's Ogawa scored a fortunate goal to give Japan's Nagoya Grampus a 1-0 win at the Newcastle Jets. Nagoya heads Group E with eight points, two more than Ulsan Hyundai, which jumped into second place after a 1-0 win at Beijing Guoan. Kashima Antlers went joint top of Group G on goal difference after a 5-0 win over Singapore Armed Forces, which has yet to pick up a point. Suwon Bluewings dropped to second place, despite rallying to beat Shanghai Shenhua 2
