Shanghai SIPG winless in three; Guangzhou Evergrande held by Melbourne

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Shanghai SIPG's prospect of progressing to the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League was in jeopardy on Tuesday night as the Chinese Super League champions extended their winless streak to three matches after being held to a 2-2 home draw by Sydney FC.

The crucial tie in Group H bore the hallmarks of a roller-coaster thriller. Brandon O'Neill gave Sydney the lead only for substitute Elkeson to level with a header two minutes after coming on at the start of the second half. Wang Shenchao then put Vitor Pereira's side in front at the end of a sweeping move in the 59th minute, only for Adam Le Fondre to equalize for Sydney three minutes later.

"We are in an extremely difficult group and each team is equally strong. My players are still fighting for the chance to advance into the next round," insisted Pereira after suffering another blow.

Shanghai SIPG are now three points adrift of group leaders Ulsan Hyundai after the South Korean side were also held to a 2-2 draw by Japan's Kawasaki Frontale.

Shanghai SIPG's Oscar controls the ball during the AFC Champions League Group clash with Sydney FC at Shanghai Stadium on April 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

Elsewhere on Tuesday night, Melbourne Victory became the first team to be eliminated from the group stage despite its 1-1 draw against Guangzhou Evergrande.

Huang Bowen gave the two-time champion the lead but Melbourne took advantage of a defensive slip and Jai Ingham leveled for Melbourne, although it was not enough to keep his club's slim hopes of a place in the next phase alive.

Evergrande are now second in group F on seven points, one point ahead of Daegu FC, who slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The current J-League leaders have notched up their third victory in a row to move into pole position in Group F.

"Talisca was frequently fouled during the game without any consequences, therefore, the game turned very tricky for us," complained Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro, whose side are now two points behind Hiroshima.

"It is very hard for me to understand why Talisca was put in that situation."

Huang Bowen celebrates as he gave Fabio Cannavaro's side the lead during their clash with Melbourne Victory on April 23, 2019. /AFC official website

In the west of the continent, former Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez scored his third goal in two games when he opened the scoring for Al Sadd in their 2-1 win over Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor as the Qatari club moved into top spot in Group D.

Al Sadd lead by a point from Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli, who had an Omar Al Soma brace to thank for their 2-1 win over last year's beaten finalists Persepolis from Iran.

Al Wahda from the United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, lead group B by two points from two-time champions Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia after Brazilian striker Leonardo hit the back of the net four times in their 4-3 win over Qatar's Al Rayyan.

Al Ittihad were held to a 1-1 draw by Lokomotiv Tashkent from Uzbekistan.

(With input from agencies)