JEDDAH, 18 May 2006 — Al-Shabab went through to the quarterfinals but Al-Hilal were eliminated at the end of the group matches yesterday in the AFC Champions League.

Shabab advanced as the winners in Group D beating Al-Quwa Al Jawiya 2-1. They finished with 13 points in a tie with Al-Saad, a 2-1 winner over Al-Arabi in Kuwait, but gained the ticket to the last eight by virtue of their better head-to-head record against Al-Saad.

Al Hilal’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage of Asia’s premier club competition evaporated in thin air after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Iraqi side Al Mina’a and Al Ain beat Mash’al 2-1 to advance as Group B winners.

The Riyadh-based club needed to beat their Iraqi counterparts and hope Group B leaders Al Ain slipped up against Mash’al from Uzbekistan to make it through to the knockout phase for the first time since the competition was inaugurated in 2002.

Real Lose 4-3 but Finish

Second as Osasuna Win

In Madrid, Real Madrid lost 4-3 at Sevilla but still finished second in the Primera Liga as Osasuna beat Valencia 2-1 to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their last games of the season on Tuesday.

Goals from David Beckham put Real two up inside 26 minutes but UEFA Cup winners Sevilla stunned the visitors by scoring four times before the break to take control of the game.

Zinedine Zidane, in his last match as a Real player before retiring, pulled a goal back in the second half. Real finished behind champions Barcelona with 70 points to earn a place in next season’s Champions League group stage.

Valencia were third with 69 after Savo Milosevic and David Lopez scored for Osasuna, who came fourth with 68. Valencia and Osasuna go into the third qualifying round of Europe’s top club competition while Sevilla, who also had 68 points but an inferior head-to head record, had to settle for defending the UEFA Cup next season after finishing fifth.

Barca, who face Arsenal in the Champions League final on Wednesday, have 82 points before the last game of the Primera Liga season sees them visit Athletic Bilbao on Friday.

Real’s game started at breakneck speed with Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano hitting the post after a minute and Zidane crashing a spectacular volley against the bar soon after. But the visitors showed greater urgency and took the lead in the 15th minute when Beckham’s free kick drifted in as Julio Baptista went for a header and put off keeper Andres Palop. The England midfielder doubled Real’s advantage in the 26th minute, latching on to Roberto Carlos’ long cross-field pass and slipping the ball under Palop.The home side cut the deficit two minutes later when winger Jesus Navas let fly with a fierce 25-meter drive that flew into the top corner.

— With input from agencies