Tianjin draws Kashima in ACL quarters

TWO-TIME champions Jeonbuk Motors will take on fellow South Koreans Suwon Bluewings in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League when the continental club championship resumes in August.

Jeonbuk, which won the title in 2006 and 2016, overcame a first-leg deficit to see off Thailand’s Buriram United, was drawn to face Suwon during a ceremony at the Asian Football Confederation’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Former Asian Club Championship winner Suwon has already defeated Korean opposition in the knockout phase after beating Ulsan Hyundai.

Tianjin Quanjian, China’s sole remaining representative in the ACL, will take on Japan’s Kashima Antlers after Paulo Sousa’s team ousted two-time champion Guangzhou Evergrande on away goals in the last 16.

Kashima, meanwhile, is appearing in the last eight for the first time since 2008 and progressed to the quarterfinals after beating current Chinese Super League leader Shanghai SIPG over two legs.

In the west of the continent, Qatar’s al-Duhail will take its perfect record in the competition so far into a meeting with last year’s semifinalist Persepolis.

Al-Duhail won all six of its group matches before back-toback wins over former champion al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates in the last 16 to set up the meeting with the Iranian league champion.

Another Iranian side, Esteghlal, will also take on Qatari opposition after being drawn to play Doha-based al-Sadd.