Key players to look out for in AFC Champions League round of 16
We look at the players set to shine in the AFC Champions League round of 16 following their impressive performances in the group stage.
The AFC Champions League group-stage games came to an end yesterday and the AFC website focused on the important roles played by the tournament's prominent players in the qualification of their teams to the round of 16 of the Asian Champions League held in Qatar due to Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
Al-Ahli's Salman Al-Moasher
The Saudi-Arabian team qualified to the round of 16 after early securing the top of the first group standings, with the help of the 31-year-old winger Salman Al-Moasher who has been delivering impressive performances since he joined the team in 2014. Al-Moasher can play on both wings and is known for his skills and intelligence on the pitch.
Esteghlal's Amir Arslan
Iranian side Esteghlal could book a seat in the round of 16 after claiming a 3-0 victory over Al-Ahli in the last round of the group stage with the team's star Amir Arsalan scoring 2 goals. The 27-year-old Arsalan is participating in his fourth champions league tournament as he appeared in 2015 competition with Neft Tehran, 2018 with Tractor and last year when he was playing for Zob Ahan.
Shabab Al-Ahli's Pedro Conde
Shabab Al-Ahli of UAE was gifted qualification to the round of 16 along with Pakhtor after AFC disqualified Al-Hilal and disregarded all their previous results for not having enough players in their squad to play the last game of group-stage. The Spanish striker Pedro Conde scored 2 out of the total 3 goals scored by the team in the group-stage rounds. The Emirati team's fans are expecting more from the 32-year-old finisher in the next round of the competition.
Al-Taawon's Abdulmajeed Al-Swat
Al-Taawon's started their campaign with 2 victories that were followed by a major setback as the team endured 3 losses that made the team's qualification almost impossible. However, a late-winner against Al-Duhail in the last round could secure them a spot in the Round of 16. The team's most prominent player was Abdulmajeed Al-Swat who could create 6 chances and completed 11 successful passes in the final third and could score a goal against Al-Duhail in the second round.
Al-Nassr's Hamdallah
Al-Nassr secured their qualification in the fifth round after going 5 rounds unbeaten before losing in the last round to Al-Ain.
The 29-year-old Moroccan striker Abdul Razzaq Hamdallah is the most prominent start among the team's players as he finished the group-stage as the competition's top scorer with 5 goals in 4 matches.
Al-Sadd's Baghdad Bounedjah
Al-Sadd qualified as second of the fourth group, with the Algerian strike Baghdad Bounedjah drawing the attention as he managed to score 4 goals. Bounedjah was the top goalscorer of the 2018 tournament when he scored 13 goals leading the team to the semi-finals.