Tetsuya Yamada-led Vissel Kobe’s fairytale journey at the AFC eChampions League Elite came to a surprising end as the Japanese side lost 2-1 on aggregate to Persepolis.

With Japan’s Vissel Kobe notching a 3-2 win in the first game, Persepolis entered the second leg strongly, winning 3-0, followed by a commanding 5-1 victory in the third match.

In the first leg, Persepolis drew first blood through Lucas Joao, who capitalised on Vissel Kobe leaving their defence bare in the 16th minute.

The Japanese side extended their advantage with another goal, but the lead was short-lived as Japan’s Taisei Miyashiro’s brace put Vissel Kobe ahead, further extended by Erik Lima’s effort in the 52nd minute.

The Iranian side reduced the deficit when Omid Alishah unleashed a left-footed attempt from a tight angle five minutes later, but they failed to find an equaliser in the remaining minutes.

The second game saw Persepolis take complete control, with Lucas João’s splendid hat-trick giving the Iranian club a 3-0 lead before the half-time whistle, while Vissel Kobe’s attempts were repeatedly thwarted by both the Iranian side’s defence and the woodwork.

There was no stopping Persepolis in the deciding third game, taking the lead in the sixth minute thanks to Lucas João once again. Vissel Kobe’s Yuya Osako briefly restored parity but the Japanese side failed to hold on as Vahid Amiri put the Iranians ahead just before the break.

The second half spelt further misery for the Japanese side, as Persepolis scored three more to register a commanding 5-1 triumph.

Two 1-0 wins saw Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor FC see off Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim in their quarter-final.

Pakhtakor began their campaign brightly, keeping the JDT backline busy with repeated attempts that tested the Malaysians’ defence.

Brayan Riascos finally found the all-important goal in the 41st minute. The Colombian had a couple more opportunities in the second half to extend the lead but was denied by Andoni Zubiaurre in the JDT goal.

Eager to get ahead early on, Pakhtakor started the second game aggressively and found the back of the net in the sixth minute through Bashar Rasan’s deft strike from close range.

The Uzbekistan side did well to retrieve the ball every time JDT looked to attack, setting up an enticing semi-final against Persepolis.

Al Nassr eased into the semi-finals after back-to-back wins against China PR’s Shanghai Shenhua.

The first leg saw Cristiano Ronaldo coolly tuck the ball into the Shanghai Shenhua net from inside the penalty box in the 17th minute, while Sadio Mané made up for his 28th-minute attempt hitting the post with a brace in the 42nd and 66th minutes to earn the Saudi Arabian side a comfortable 3-0 victory.

The return leg saw all hopes of a semi-final berth for the China PR club fade away as a clinical Al Nassr side showcased their best performance yet, scoring six times in the first half.

Brazil’s Ângelo began the goal fest with an opening-minute strike before doubling his tally in the ninth minute. Jhon Durán’s brace, along with a strike from Ronaldo, followed in the subsequent minutes, while Otávio scored the sixth goal at the 45-minute mark.

Saulo Mineiro scored Shanghai Shenhua’s only goal in the final seconds of the first half, while Ronaldo wrapped up proceedings with his second strike, making it a stunning 7-1 victory for the Saudi Arabian side, who will face Yokohama F. Marinos in the semi-finals.

Qatar’s Al Rayyan FC displayed a spirited performance but fell short of booking a spot in the final four, suffering two consecutive defeats against Marinos.

Hirato Asada opened the scoring for the Japanese club in the 15th minute from a beautiful assist by Anderson Lopes, before the Brazilian himself scored in the 75th minute.

However, the game was far from over as Al Rayyan’s Adam Bareiro beat a number of red shirts to slot the ball home just two minutes later. In a surprise turn of events, Al Rayyan’s Gabriel Pereira scored the equaliser in the 93rd minute to push the game into extra time.

In the end, Daiya Tono came to the Marinos’ rescue as his fine free-kick in the 107th minute sailed past the Al Rayyan keeper to make it 3-2.

Keen to avoid surprises, Marinos began the second match on an offensive footing and got their opener through Anderson Lopes, who sped past three Al Rayyan defenders before striking into the centre of the net, with Hirato Asada doubling the lead two minutes later.

The Qatari outfit, however, were not ready to give up, with Adam Bareiro pulling one back in first half added time.

Returning from the break, both sides showed their attacking intent but it was the Marinos who scored again in the 89th minute when an unmarked Asahi Uenaka made no mistake in burying the ball into the Al Rayyan net.

Click here to stay updated on the AFC eChampions League Elite 2025!