Kuala Lumpur: Omar Abdulrahman has been named the Toyota Player of the Week after the Al Ain star led the Emirati side to an impressive 6-1 win over Esteghlal of Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday to secure a 6-2 aggregate win and a place in the quarter-finals for last year’s runners-up.
The frizzy-haired playmaker netted two goals and picked up an assist after his exquisite pass picked out striker Nassir Al Shamrani for Al Ain’s sixth of the night in front of an ecstatic home crowd at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
Abdulrahman, now the leading scoring in the 2017 AFC Champions League with seven goals, had had three shots on target in the contest, while the United Arab Emirates international created a hugely impressive seven chances, won three fouls and delivered 74 from 97 total touches to earn himself a 9.4 rating.
Next on the list is Al Ahli Saudi’s Hussain Al Mogahwi, who tallied an incredible 98 percent passing accuracy in the 3-1 win against UAE’s Al Ahli and of that a 100% pacing accuracy in his opponent’s half to earn a 8.7 rating.
As well as scoring his side’s second goal of the night, the central midfielder won six duels and made nine recoveries as the 2012 runners-up progressed to their third quarter-final appearance.
Al Ain winger Caio secured an 8.6 rating to come third in the Toyota Player of the Week list after he netted a brace in Monday’s win over Esteghlal.
The Brazilian youngster, who has been one to watch in our 23 Under 23 series, scored his two goals from three shots on target, won six duels and made four recoveries.
Another Brazilian, Pedro Junior, is the first player from the East to feature in this week’s top eight after the striker’s fine performance in Kashima Antler’s 2-1 win over China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in Japan on Tuesday.
While the scoreline was not enough to prevent the J.League club’s elimination, Pedro Junior’s superb opening goal, seven duels won, three recoveries and two chances created earned him a well-deserved 8.5 rating.
Completing the top five is the third man from Brazil in succession after Shanghai SIPG star Hulk who netted in the side’s 3-2 away win over compatriots Jiangsu FC on Wednesday.
The striker, who has now scored six goals in the tournament, created four chances, won nine duels and chalked up a passing accuracy of 75% to earn a 8.2 rating.
CLICK HERE FOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK LIST (Once graphic is published)
Kawasaki Frontale’s Yu Kobayashi came sixth in the Toyota Player of the Week after scoring against Muangthong United and picking up two assists to earn a 8.1 rating.
Kobayashi’s team-mate Kengo Nakamura also picked up an assist to make it into our top eight with a 7.9 rating, while Al Ahli Saudi’s Taiseer Al Jassam scored the opener against Al Ahli of the UAE to round off this week's list with a 7.8 rating.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com