Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv inflicted a 5-0 defeat on former champions Al Sadd of Qatar as the race to qualify for the AFC Champions League last 16 from Group C got desperate on Wednesday.

Marat Bikmaev scored twice inside the first 15 minutes and the Tashkent side added three more in the second half as they exacted revenge on the surprise 2011 champions who had won their first leg clash 6-2 in Doha last month.

The win helped Lokomotiv move up to third spot with four points and open up Group C where all four teams now entertain hopes of qualifying for the next phase.

Coach Vadim Abramov had demanded a reaction from his players after their humiliation in Doha and they responded in style with a seventh minute strike from Bikmaev, who tapped in a rebound after Ikromjon Alibaev’s effort was parried by goalkeeper Muhannad Naim.

Bikmaev doubled the lead in the 14th minute after knocking down a cross from Jasur Khasanov and drilled a left-footer past the goalkeeper.

Sanjar Shaakhmedov made it 3-0 in the 54th minute to all but seal the result before substitutes Damir Kojasevic and Ruslan Korian put the issue beyond doubt in the final 10 minutes.

In another Group C match, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia defeated Iran’s Foolad Kouzestan 2-0, with Nasser al-Shamrani and Yasir al-Shahrani on target in the second half.

Al Hilal and Al Sadd now have seven points with the Saudi side ahead on goal difference.

In Group A, Qatar Stars League champions Lekhwiya edged past another Uzbek side, Bunyodkor, 1-0 with Slovakian forward Vladimir Weiss netting the winner in the 43rd minute.

Iranian club Persepolis stayed on top of the group with nine points after they defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr 1-0 with Mehdi Teremi scoring from the spot in the 61st minute.

Earlier in East Asia, struggling Urawa Red Diamonds denied Beijing Guoan a place in the last 16 as Shandong Luneng and Kashiwa Reysol played out an eight-goal thriller.

Urawa were hosting Chinese league-leaders Beijing on the back of three straight defeats, and they were flirting with elimination after Yu Dabao’s tap-in on 33 minutes.

But the Japanese side grabbed a lifeline in front of their home fans in Saitama when Tomoaki Makino headed them level in the 74th minute for a 1-1 draw.

The draw kept Urawa last in Group G with their first point, while Beijing remained top with 10 points, three ahead of Suwon Samsung, who beat Australia’s Brisbane Roar 3-1.

After a scoreless first half, South Korea’s Suwon raced away with goals by Kwon Chang-Hoon, Seo Jung-Jin and captain Yeom Ki-Hun in a devastating 15-minute spell.

Luke DeVere pulled a goal back for the visitors with 10 minutes remaining but they dropped to third place, six points behind Beijing with two games remaining.

In Group E, South Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol were also prevented from reaching the eliminators as they were held to draws.

Kashiwa’s game was a belter as Shandong Luneng staved off possible elimination by coming from 3-1 down to lead 4-3 when Yang Xu converted a penalty early in the second half.

But Shandong had to settle for a 4-4 draw when goalkeeper Wang Dalei comically mishandled a 76th-minute free-kick by Brazilian forward Cristiano into his own net.