AFC Champions League Match Day 3 Results - Wednesday

Apr 4, 2012 11:59:00 PM

Goal.com rounds up all the exciting action from Wednesday's third matchday of the Asian Champions League fixtures as they happen all around the continent

Kashiwa Reysol 0-0 Guangzhou Evergrande

The Japanese and Chinese fought out an uninspiring goalless draw in Kashiwa as they remained locked on points in Group H.

Guangzhou's Muriqui wasted a good fourth minute chance when he hit a loose ball off target while Jorge Wagner also had a dangerous shot on goal in an uneventful first-half. The second-half failed to provide many more highlights as it ended 0-0.

Ulsan Hyundai 1-1 Brisbane Roar

Honours were shared in South Korea, as Australian champions Brisbane Roar held on for a draw despite being reduced to 10 men earlier in the second-half.

After early Ulsan pressure, Nick Fitzgerald (pictured, left) fired Brisbane into the lead on 36 minutes with a low drive after some fine build-up play. However Ulsan levelled shortly after the break, although that came after Lee Keun-Ho missed a penalty following Matthew Jurman's foul on Kim Seung-Yong inside the box after a slip, with the Roar defender sent off. Lee Jae-Sung equalised on 55 minutes, when he fired home after Brisbane failed to clear a corner.

Buriram United 0-2 Jeonbuk Motors

Thai champions Buriram's dream run in the 2012 ACL ground to a halt as they were beaten 2-0 by last season's beaten finalists Jeonbuk.

Veteran striker Lee Dong-Gook broke the deadlock after nine minutes and Seo Sang-Min added a second on 33 minutes. Buriram couldn't muster a response as the two first-half goals proved enough for the Koreans.

Beijing Guoan 1-1 FC Tokyo

Beijing remain winless after being held to a 1-1 draw against Japanese Emperor's Cup winners FC Tokyo.

Wang Xiaolong put Guoan ahead on 11 minutes from the penalty spot, before Naohiro Ishikawa set up Aria Jasuru Hasegawa for the equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

Pakhtakor 3-1 Al Arabi

Pakhtakor claimed their first victory of the 2012 ACL, with two goals inside the final 15 minutes ensuring a triumph over Qatari outfit Al Arabi.

Sherzod Kasimov got the Uzbek club off to a flying start with a deflected goal on nine minutes but Al Arabi levelled through Argentine star Leonardo Pisculichi who lashed home inside the box from Boualem Khoukhi's cutback on 37 minutes.

It remained 1-1 until the 74th minute, when Pakhtakor went on to win the game courtesy of goals from Dilshod Sharofetdinov and Temurkhuja Abdukholikov (in stoppage time).

Al Shabab 1-1 Al Hilal

Saudi giants Al Hilal had a third consecutive draw in the 2012 ACL, as UAE outfit Al Shabab bounced back after losing 6-1 to Persepolis in the last matchday.

After Christian Wilhelmsson and Salem Al Dawsari spurned early chances for the visitors, Al Shabab's Brazilian striker Ciel opened the scoring on 37 minutes with a superb solo strike.

Wilhelmsson tested the Al Shabab keeper early in the second 45, but it was Yoo Byung-Soo who netted the leveller on 70 minutes after Youssef El Arabi's through ball. Al Shabab's Walid Abbas might have won it late, when his effort hit the post.

Al Gharafa 0-3 Persepolis

Iranian giants Persepolis claimed an important away win to back up their 6-1 home triumph over Al Shabab as they continue to dominate Group D.

Two goals inside the opening five minutes sealed the deal for Persepolis, with Gholamreza Rezaei and Eamon Zayed (pictured) striking early. Al Gharafa responded by controlling possession but couldn't create anything of substance. Eventually the Iranians added a third, with Javad Kazemian netting in a 73rd-minute counterattack.

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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Rayo Vallecano 4-2 Racing Santander<br /></span></strong></span></td>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Rayo Vallecano recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat 10-man Racing Santander at Vallecas as they moved, temporarily, to within three points of a Champions League spot. <br /><br />Racing's goalkeeper, Tono, was sent off inside five minutes after bringing down Diego Costa, leaving the visitors with an uphill struggle. Somehow they managed to open up a two-goal advantage, though, thanks to strikes from <strong>Marc Torrejon</strong> and <strong>Gonzalo Cosla</strong> in the opening 20 minutes.<br /><br />Rayo were shocked into action and took a foothold in the game when <strong>Michu </strong>netted prior to the break. And in a 10-minute second-half spell they put the game beyond doubt with three quickfire goals. <strong>Michu </strong>bagged his second of the match, before <strong>Raul Tamudo</strong> and<strong> Piti </strong>consigned a deflated Racing to defeat.</div>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Getafe 1-3 Malaga</span></strong></span><br /></td>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Eliseu Pereira inspired Malaga to victory but they had to come from a goal behind to beat Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday.<br /><br />Maunel Pellegrini's men trailed to <strong>Diego Castro</strong>'s first-half strike before <strong>Eliseu's</strong> introduction after the break. The Portuguese netted the equaliser in the 57th minute before assisting <strong>Jeremy Toulalan</strong>'s<strong> </strong>strike that put Malaga ahead. <br /><br />The win was sealed in the dying minutes of the game when <strong>Santi Cazorla</strong> unleashed an unstoppable drive from distance as the visitors maintained their push for European football next season.</div>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Mallorca 1-1 Osasuna</span></strong></span><br /></td>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Osasuna's European hopes were dealt a blow by Mallorca, who rescued a point at the Iberostar Stadium, helping the islanders to climb further away from the drop zone. <br /><br />The visitors had been on course for only their second away win of the season after <strong>Alvaro Cejudo</strong>'s strike just before the break, only to be denied by Mallorca after the interval. With less than 20 minutes remaining, <strong>Emilio Nsue</strong> rose highest to meet Sergio Tejera's corner, and direct his header past Andres Fernandez. <br /><br />Osasuna were guilty of missing chances to re-establish their advantage in the closing stages of the game, and consequently now find themselves two points adrift of the Champions League spots.</div>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Barcelona 3-1 Sporting Gijon<br /></span></strong></span></td>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://u.goal.com/171100/171148_hp.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="230" /><br /><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/63164/fc-barcelona-vs-sporting-de-gijon/report">Match Report</a> | <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/63164/fc-barcelona-vs-sporting-de-gijon/player-ratings">Player Ratings </a></strong></span></div>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Sevilla 1-1 Atletico Madrid</span></strong></span><br /></td>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://u.goal.com/146000/146009_hp.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="230" /><br /><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goal.com/en/match/63165/sevilla-vs-atletico-madrid/report"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Match Report</strong></span></a></div>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Zaragoza 2-1 Villarreal</span></strong></span><br /></td>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Villarreal surrendered a slender lead five minutes from time against Zaragoza before Abraham Minero netted an injury-time winner to boost the home side's hopes of Primera Division survival this season.<br /><br />The Yellow Submarine took a deserved lead in the 16th minute when Nilmar and Javier Camunas combined brilliantly to give <strong>Alejandro Martinuccio</strong> the simplest of finishes and net his first goal for Villarreal. <br /><br />Zaragoza were fortunate not to fall further behind prior to <strong>Luis Garcia</strong>'s<strong> </strong>equaliser in the 85th minute with an exquisite volley from the edge of the area. <strong>Abraham</strong> then completed the late turnaround with a goal in injury time to secure an unlikely three points for the Aragonese outfit, who remain bottom of the table.</div>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 40%; background-color: #e93420;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Real Sociedad<br /></span></strong></span></td>
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<div style="text-align: left;">Athletic Bilbao claimed the bragging rights in the Basque derby and continued their assault on European football thanks to a 2-0 win over regional rivals Real Sociedad on Sunday, but the result came with some controversy.<br /><br /><strong>Markel Susaeta</strong> finished a clinical move from the home side with Andoni Iraola and Ander Herrera involved in the build-up before the latter put the midfielder clear. <br /><br />Sociedad thought they were level within minutes of falling behind when Carlos Vela's effort clearly crossed the line, but the Mexican's strike was not given. Marcelo Bielsa's side continued to hold on for much of the match until <strong>Susaeta </strong>netted his second of the match with a curling free-kick late on.</div>
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Al Ittihad 1-0 Bani Yas

Last season's ACL semifinalists Al Ittihad maintained their 100 per cent winning record, as Naif Hazazi made up for a series of misses to net an 80th-minute winner from the spot.

Faouzi Abdelghni had forced a fingertip save from Bani Yas keeper Mohamed Khalaf early on, while Hazazi fired wide in a one-on-one on 16 minutes. Bani Yas striker Andre Senghor forced a fine diving save from Tigers keeper Mabrouk Zaid with a header on the half hour mark.

Hazazi had an effort smack into the crossbar early in the second 45, and while it seemed destined for a goalless draw, Abdelghni was tripped up by Ismael Bouzid on 80 minutes giving Al Ittihad the chance from the spot. Hazazi stepped up and converted it for the winner.

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