Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal secured a late 3-2 win over Uzbek hosts Nasaf to maintain their perfect start to the league phase of the Asian Champions League Elite on Monday, while champions Al Ahli drew 2-2 with Al Duhail in Doha.
Qatar's Al Gharafa notched up a 2-0 win against Al Shorta from Iraq and Iran's Tractor FC drew 0-0 with UAE's Al Wahda on Matchday 2.
Al Hilal needed a 79th minute winner from Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo in Qarshi to move on to six points from their first two matches after twice being pegged back by the home side.
“We played well with a fast tempo to get a positive result,” Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We should have won the game earlier however as we wasted many chances but Nasaf is a strong opponent.”
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put Al Hilal ahead in the 21st minute when he capitalised on an error by goalkeeper Abduvakhid Nemetov but Sardorbek Bakhromov levelled with a drive into the top corner six minutes later.
Theo Hernandez's stumbling run took him through the defence two minutes into first half stoppage time before the former AC Milan man lifted a deft finish over Nemetov to restore Al Hilal's lead.
Javokhir Sidikov levelled again on the hour mark after rounding Yassine Bounou, leaving Leonardo to hit the winner with a first-time finish following Milinkovic-Savic's perfect pass.
"It was a good game on a difficult pitch," said Al Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly. "We knew that this team had made it difficult for Al Ahli in the first game, we knew it was a dangerous team.
"We scored two times but they came back two times so it was difficult. But in the end we scored the third goal and it was an important win today."
Fellow SPL side Al Ahli shared the points in a thriller against Al Duhail, with Matthias Jaissle's side initially going behind to a 25th minute Edmilson Junior goal.
Matheus Goncalves levelled in the 42nd minute when he beat substitute goalkeeper Bautista Burke at his near post and Riyad Mahrez struck four minutes later when he punished a poor attempted clearance by the Argentinian keeper.
But Krzysztof Piatek's header three minutes into the second half earned Al Duhail their first point of the league phase while Al Ahli move on to four points, having previously won their opener against Nasaf.
Former Real Madrid striker Joselu sent Al Gharafa on their way to victory over Iraq's Al Shorta in Doha when he slotted in from close range three minutes into the second half.
Ferjani Sassi added the second as he rose unmarked to head past Ahmed Basil to ensure the Qatari club picked up their first win of the campaign having lost to Sharjah earlier in the month.
Al Wahda followed up their opening day win over Saudi champions Al Ittihad with a hard-earned draw in Iran against Tractor.
The first eight finishers in the 12-team league phase in both west and east Asia advance to March's knockout rounds with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to be played in Saudi Arabia on a centralised basis in late April.
