A late goal by Amado Flavio helped Al-Shabab defeat Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan 2-1 in a Group C match at King Fahd International Stadium and make the knockout round of the AFC Champions League after Shabab Tuesday. In Group D, despite a 1-3 loss to Mes Kerman in Iran, Al-Hilal remained on top with 11 points and joined the select band in Round 16. Mes Kerman, however, qualified second, after Al-Sadd of Qatar (8 points) drew 2-2 with its guest Al-Ahli of the UAE (five points). Midfielder Sherzodbek Karimov put Pakhtakor in the lead in the 31st minute before Shabab midfielder Marcelo Camacho leveled the score from the spot 20 minutes after the break. And Flavio clinched the issue in the 88th minute. The two teams played well and threatened each other's goal several times. Shabab took advantage of the red card shown to Pakhtakor defender Aleksandr Kletskov, nine minutes after the break. With 10 points, Shabab qualified first after Al-Ain of the UAE (seven points) stunned Sepahan of Iran (8 points) 2-0. Shabab has now moved to the next round along with Pakhtakor which has collected nine points. In Iran, Brazilian striker of Mes Kerman Eder Luciano put his team in the lead three minutes after the kickoff and Hilal striker Eissa Al-Muhayani levelled the score six minutes after the break. However, another Brazilian striker, Paolo Zaltron, put the host in the lead again and midfielder Mahdi Rajab Zada sealed the win in the last minute of the match. Mes Kerman has collected nine points so far. Hilal, which performed well in the first half, did not only lose the match, but will also temporarily miss the services of one of its key players, Ahmed Al-Furaidy, who was sent off. Elsewhere, Adelaide United and Suwon Bluewings both earned crucial home advantage for the knockout round. The Reds clung on to a home tie for their round of 16 match next month despite losing their final group game to China's Shandong Luneng 1-0. They stayed top of their group after South Korea's Pohang Steelers, the defending champions, went down 4-3 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan at the same time. Adelaide, which reached the 2008 final, dominated but fell to a spectacular goal from Li Wei. It means Adelaide now plays the runner-up of Group F –either reigning J-League champions Kashima Antlers or K-League champion Jeonbuk Motors, who meet Wednesday. Pohang, as runner-up, will face the group winner after it lost to Sanfrecce, with 19-year-old rookie Junya Osaki giving the Japanese team a flying start with a strike in the first minute. Suwon also ensured a home tie with a 6-2 drubbing of Singapore Armed Forces, with five of their goals coming in the first half. They took top spot in Group G after Japan's Gamba Osaka drew 1-1 with China's Henan Jianye. Takashi Usami gave Gamba the lead on 38 minutes and it looked good for three points, but relaxed as the clock ticked down and Song Tae-lim sneaked a last gasp equalizer. Suwon's victory set up a meeting with Beijing Guoan at home for a place in the quarterfinals while Gamba must travel to Korea to play Seongnam Ilhwa. Up to this stage 10 teams have booked their place in the knockout rounds. __
