AFC Champions League
With the AFC's club competitions transitioning to a new format from the 2024/25 season, it was only fitting that the inaugural winners brought the curtains down on the AFC Champions League by waltzing their way to a second title.
Victory was well deserved as Al Ain had to overcome tough challenges to make the final.
Hernan Crespo's side topped Group A with 15 points to set up a Round of 16 encounter with Uzbekistan's FC Nasaf, with Al Ain advancing 4-2 on aggregate.
#ACL - QF | West Zone | Al Ain FC (UAE) 1-0 Al Nassr (KSA)
Up next were Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr and Al Ain proved they were up to the task of taking on the best as they sensationally ended the Saudi Arabian side's hopes of winning a first AFC Champions League title.
Soufiane Rahimi's 44th minute strike separated the two sides at the end of 90 minutes but what unfolded in the return leg was simply spectacular.
#ACL - QF | West Zone | Al Nassr (KSA) 4 - 3 Al Ain FC (UAE)
Moroccan forward Rahimi struck in the 28th and 45th minutes to give Al Ain what looked like a confirmed spot in the semi-finals but Abdulrahman Ghareeb pulled one back for Al Nassr deep into first half stoppage time.
That set up a comeback for the ages as a Khalid Eisa own goal pushed Al Nassr within one of drawing level, with Alex Telles sending the home fans into raptures with his strike in the 72nd minute.
Sultan Al Shamsi edged Al Ain ahead in the 103rd minute but a Ronaldo spot-kick two minutes from the end forced the game into a penalty shootout, with Crespo's side triumphing 3-1 in a truly exhilarating affair.
#ACL - Semi-finals | West Zone (1st Leg) | Al Ain (UAE) 4 - 2 Al Hilal SFC (KSA)
The semi-final against four-time Asian champions Al Hilal SFC was another classic over both legs with Rahimi again stealing the show.
Having burst into life in the knockout stage, the Moroccan forward stunned Al Hilal with a first half hat-trick in the first leg at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
Rahimi opened the scoring in the sixth minute, with his second and third coming in the 26th and 38th minutes but Al Hilal, defending a 34-match world record winning run, pulled one back in the 49th minute through Malcom.
Alejandro Romero stunned the Saudi Arabian side with Al Ain's fourth in the 56th minute but Salem Al Dawsari's 78th minute strike gave Al Hilal hope of turning things around in the return leg.
#ACL - West Zone (2nd Leg) | Al Hilal SFC (KSA) 2 - 1 Al Ain FC (UAE)
The aggregate deficit was reduced to one by Ruben Neves just four minutes into the return leg but Al Ain were far from overawed by the occasion, with Erik drawing them level on the night in the 12th minute.
Al Dawsari netted for Al Hilal in the 51st minute but despite the Saudi Arabian side’s best efforts, Al Ain held on to advance to the final for the first time since 2016.
#ACL - Final (1st Leg) | Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN) 2 - 1 Al Ain FC (UAE)
Awaiting them were Yokohama F. Marinos, with the Japanese side appearing in their first AFC Champions League final but it was Al Ain who got off to a dream start in the first leg with Mohammed Abbas giving them a 12th minute opener.
A stung Marinos looked to hit back and with their fans urging them on, they surged in search of the equaliser but found the Al Ain defence and goalkeeper Eisa tough nuts to crack.
The Japanese side's aggression, however, finally paid off in the 72nd minute when Yan Matheus moved into the penalty area from the right and delivered a curling left-foot cross that found Asahi Uenaka unmarked 10 yards from goal, his header easily beating Eisa.
And with six minutes remaining Marinos took the lead, Kota Watanabe slotting in after Ryo Miyaichi redirected Matheus’ cross into the substitute’s path.
#ACL - Final (2nd Leg) | Al Ain FC (UAE) 5 -1 Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN)
Al Ain head coach Crespo had promised a 'hot' reception for Marinos in the return leg and that was exactly what his side delivered, with Rahimi drawing them level on aggregate by the eighth minute.
Rahimi’s pace continued to be a nuisance for the Marinos defence; the forward was too quick for Shinnosuke Hatanaka, beating the Japanese centre-back to the ball and forcing him to commit a foul inside the box, which translated into a penalty kick following a VAR check. Paraguayan playmaker Alejandro Romero stepped up to slot home his side’s second in the 33rd minute.
Marinos equalised the aggregate score in the 40th minute, as Matheus capitalised on a mistake from Kouame Kouadio to snatch the ball, cut into his left foot and aim for the bottom far corner where Eisa’s fingertips were unable to stop it nestling in the back of the net to make it 2-1 on the night.
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There was more drama before the break as Marinos were reduced to 10 men following a red card to goalkeeper William Popp in the 10th minute of added time.
Al Ain increased the pressure after the restart, with Crespo introducing striker Laba for full-back Saeed Jumaa and the hosts were rewarded for their attacking endeavors with a third goal in the 67th minute, and once more it was Rahimi delivering the goods.
While it was Laba who was the focal point of the attack, starting the move which saw defender Eduardo clear the ball but only as far as Rahimi, who controlled it expertly, moved it to his left foot and hammered home.
It was the 27-year-old’s 13th goal of the campaign, matching the record for most goals in a single AFC Champions League season, previously shared by Guangzhou FC’s Muriqui (2013), FC Seoul’s Adriano (2016) and Al Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah (2018).
With 10 minutes of added time given, substitute Laba cemented the win with a fourth goal. Goalkeeper Fuma Shirasaka, who had come in place of Elber following the dismissal of Popp in the first half, committed a horror mistake, missing his attempt to clear Rahimi’s through pass, allowing the Togolese forward to finish comfortably into the empty net for his seventh goal of the campaign.
Deep into added time, Laba added his second of the night and his team’s fifth. The 32-year-old fed Kaku down the left and the Paraguayan sent a low effort that looked set for a comfortable Shirasaka save, but the slightest of touches from Laba changed the direction of the ball as it settled in the back of the net to seal a 6-3 aggregate victory for the Emiratis.
Rahimi’s sterling campaign was rewarded by the forward named the Most Valuable Player while his 13 goals made him a clear winner of the Top Scorer award as Al Ain lifted the AFC Champions League trophy again after a 21-year wait.
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