"I don’t want to have to go through that kind of game again," said relieved Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo. "It was very tough."
Sydney FC looked to be heading into the last eight for the first time after clinging onto a 2-1 lead throughout the second half until Hao Junmin's 90th minute thunderbolt sent visitors Shandong through on away goals.
Al Ain, the 2003 champions, faced a tough night in Iran after a 1-1 draw in the first leg back home in Abu Dhabi but goals either side of halftime from Lee Myung-joo and Danilo Asprilla with no reply saw them beat Zobahan 3-1 on aggregate.
El Jaish were strong favourites to emerge triumphant from the all-Qatari clash against Lekhwiya in Doha on Wednesday after their 4-0 first-leg victory but had something of a scare before progressing despite a 4-2 defeat.
Like Shandong, Sven-Goran Eriksson's Shanghai also left it late against FC Tokyo on Tuesday, with Wu Lei's stoppage-time goal giving the Chinese side a 1-0 win, which saw them progress on away goals after they lost the first leg 2-1.
South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors, champions in 2006, also went through on Tuesday, as Leonardo's two goals in Jeonju gave them a 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory for a 3-2 aggregate success.
Uzbekistan's Lokomotiv reached the last eight for the first time with a 2-1 victory over twice Asian champions Al Hilal, which was enough to progress after a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Nasr are also first time quarter-finalists despite a 3-1 defeat at Iran's Tractorasazi Tabriz on Tuesday, their 4-1 win in the first leg in Dubai enough for a 5-4 aggregate victory.
China's Guangzhou Evergrande, champions in 2013 and last year, failed to get through the group stage.
The draw for the quarter-finals will take place on June 9 in Kuala Lumpur.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Toby Davis)
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