FC Seoul recovered from going a goal down and missing a penalty to beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 and reach the AFC Champions League quarter-finals in a dramatic last-16 match which saw three red cards on Tuesday.

The South Korean champions were stunned by an early strike by Freddie Kanoute, and then watched Serbian dangerman Dejan Damjanovic miss from the spot, before three goals in the final half-hour put them through to the last eight.

Ex-Premier League marksman Kanoute was the first to receive his marching orders, after a second yellow card for petulantly kicking away the ball, before Seoul's Adilson and Beijing defender Zhang Xinxin followed him down the tunnel.

The hectic second leg followed a tepid first installment of the round of 16 tie last week in the Chinese capital, and denied Beijing the first AFC Champions League quarter-final in their history.

Seoul got off to a disastrous start when a defensive mix-up released Beijing's Kanoute in the box. The former West Ham, Spurs and Sevilla striker coolly finished to put the visitors 1-0 up after eight minutes.

But Seoul nearly equalized when Colombian forward Mauricio Molina's bullet shot fired over, and Ha Dae-Sung's flick header then drew a superb reaction save from Beijing goalie Yang Zhi.

After the break, Damjanovic and Molina both went close as Seoul pressed -- and they got their break with a penalty on the hour-mark, after the Colombian was brought down in the box by Beijing's Zhang.

Damjanovic's curling spot-kick cannoned off the left post. But Seoul equalized just a minute later when Beijing 'keeper Yang fumbled a cross from Yun Il-Lok into the path of Brazilian defender Adilson, who bundled it into an empty net.

Seoul needed two goals to win it, owing to Beijing's away goal, but they only had to wait nine minutes for their second when Yun hammered home a loose ball in the box, after Beijing failed to clear a glancing header from Damjanovic.

(AFP)