AFC Champions League: And then there were four

The line-ups for the AFC Champions League semi-finals have been confirmed following the conclusion of the quarter-final ties on Wednesday.

The line-ups for the AFC Champions League semi-finals have been confirmed following the conclusion of the quarter-final ties on Wednesday.

The first semi-final is an all-Middle Eastern duel, with Al Hilal coming up against Al Ahli.

Al Ahli will be making their first appearance in the final four of Asia's premier continental competition after they beat Naft Tehran 3-1 on aggregate, with the Dubai-based club securing a 2-1 victory on home soil on Wednesday.

Al Ahli edged past fellow United Arab Emirates side Al Ain in the last 16 on the away goals rule after finishing second in Group D with eight points.

Next up on the agenda for Cosmin Olaroiu's side is a meeting with two-time AFC Champions League winners Al Hilal.

Al Hilal booked their spot in the last four by downing Lekhwiya of Qatar 6-3 on aggregate, with a 4-1 victory in the first leg all but securing the tie.

The Saudi Arabian club beat Iranian outfit Persepolis 3-1 on aggregate in the last 16 after topping Group C with 13 points from their six group games.

Al Hilal will host Al Ahli in the first leg on September 29, before the two teams face off in Dubai on October 20.

In the second semi-final, Guangzhou Evergrande come up against Gamba Osaka.

Guangzhou Evergrande, the 2013 AFC Champions League winners, downed Kashiwa Reysol in the quarter-finals on the back of a 3-1 win away from home in the first leg. Head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will be hoping to claim a second J-League scalp in the form of the men from Osaka later this month.

The Chinese Super League champion's route to the semi-finals began when they topped Group H, before beating Seongnam 3-2 on aggregate in the last 16.

Gamba Osaka edged through the group stages after finishing first in Group F, a group in which the top three sides finished level on 10 points. 

Kenta Hasegawa's side beat FC Seoul 6-3 on aggregate in the round of 16, before seeing off Jeonbuk Motors in dramatic fashion in the quarter- finals. The J-League outfit needed an injury-time goal to book their spot in the semi-finals.

Guangzhou will host the first leg of the semi-final tie on September 30, with the teams heading to Japan for the second leg on October 21.

AFC Champions League semi-final fixtures:

First leg

September 29: Al Hilal v Al Ahli
September 30: Guangzhou Evergrande v Gamba Osaka

Second leg

October 20: AL Ahli v Al Hilal
October 21: Gamba Osaka v Guangzhou Evergrande