Al Hilal join fellow Saudi sides Al Ahli and Al Nassr in AFC Champions League Elite last 16

A 1-1 draw against Qatari side Al Sadd maintains Hilal's unbeaten start to Asia's premier club competition

Romain Saiss of Al Sadd, left, and Marcos Almeida of Al Hilal compete for the ball. Getty

Al Hilal maintained their unbeaten run in the AFC Champions League Elite as a 1-1 draw against Qatar's Al Sadd on Tuesday secured the Saudi champions a place in the last 16.

Hilal join fellow Saudi clubs Al Ahli, who top the group with a perfect 15 points, and Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr, who advanced courtesy of Al Wasl's victory over Al Shorta.

The top eight teams in the 12-club league phase in both west and east Asia advance to the last 16, which will be played over two legs on a home-and-away basis in March.

Al Hilal had clinched four consecutive wins in Asia's premier club competition heading into the match but arrived at the Jassim bin Hamed Stadium having suffered a first league defeat of the season on Friday when they surrendered a two-goal lead to Al Khaleej.

Jorge Jesus' side went in front in the 10th minute when Ali Al Bulahyi pounced at the far post after Mohammed Kanno had flicked on Salem Al Dawsari's corner.

Aleksandar Mitrovic almost doubled Hilal's advantage but was denied by the woodwork. With 19 minutes remaining, Al Sadd restored parity when Paulo Otavio turned in a cross from Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif.

Tarek Salman then hit the woodwork for the hosts in a frantic finish which saw referee Kim Jong-hyeok turn down Hilal penalty appeals after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

The draw, however, was enough to secure Al Hilal's passage to the next round while Al Sadd also remain on track for the next phase despite dropping to fifth with nine points.

UAE champions Al Wasl moved above the Qataris into fourth place with a comfortable 3-1 win over Al Shorta in Iraq.

Jonatas Santos gave the Emirati club a 14th-minute lead in Karbala before Fahd Yousef equalised five minutes into the second half.

Fabio De Lima, fresh from a four-goal salvo in the UAE's World Cup qualifying win over Qatar last week, restored Wasl's lead on 64 minutes and Nicolas Gimenez rounded off the result in injury time.