A red letter day it was for Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor and Pakhtakor who stormed into the quarter-finals, while gloom spread far and wide over the Saudi footballing landscape as only one out of three clubs - Al Ittihad of Jeddah - managed to move deeper into the Asian club showcase.

Uzbek champions Bunyodkor beat Iranian giants Piroozi (Persepolis) 1-0, courtesy Brazilian legend Rivaldo who rolled back the years to slot the ball from the spot.

ACL ever-presents Pakhtakor, however, had to come from behind to notch up a creditable 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia’s Ettifaq.

Ghanian forward Prince Tagoe put Ettifaq ahead three minutes after the half hour mark but substitute Zaynitdin Tadjiyev equalised 11 minutes from time.

Another substitute Alexander Geynrikh’s stunning stoppage time free-kick saw Victor Djalilov’s team sail through to the last eight.

Al Ittihad, the two-time former ACL winners from Saudi Arabia, overcame Al Shabab 2-1 in an all-Saudi contest and became the only club from the Kingdom to stay in the fray.

Moroccan substitute Hicham Aboucherouane netted the winner for Al Ittihad three minutes into the stoppage time after Abdulaziz bin Saran’s 17th minute opener for Al Shabab was cancelled out by Osama Al Harbi early in the second half.

The three teams joined Qatar’s Umm Salal who made it to the quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 4-3 win on penalties over Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.

The remaining four Round of 16 matches will be played on 24 June.

Japan’s Nagoya Grampus host Korea Republic’s Suwon Bluewings, defending champions Gamba Osaka take on Kawasaki Frontale in an all-Japan clash, Japan’s Kashima Antlers clash with Korea Republic’s FC Seoul and Korea Republic’s Pohang Steelers meet Australia’s Newcastle Jets.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be home-and-away affairs while the one-off final will be played in Tokyo on 7 November.

The first leg of the quarter-finals will be played on either 23 or 24 September while the second leg will be played on 30 September. The two-legged semi-finals have been slated for 21 and 28 October.