Two goals from Soufiane Rahimi in the second leg took his tally to a record-equalling 13 for the competition as he matched the all-time best total for a single edition, achieved by Guangzhou FC’s Muriqui (2013), FC Seoul’s Adriano (2016) and Al Sadd SC’s Baghdad Bounedjah (2018).

Not only did the Moroccan forward pick up the Top Scorer accolade, he was also named the tournament’s MVP having netted an incredible nine goals in the knockout rounds.

It was 21 years ago when Al Ain were crowned the inaugural champions after beating Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana in the 2002/03 finale. Having finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2016, Saturday’s win ensured the Emiratis are both the competition’s first and last winners.

Furthermore, it is only the second time a side from the United Arab Emirates has lifted the trophy after Shabab Al Ahli also finished as runners-up in 2015.

Five second-leg goals saw Al Ain finish as the tournament’s top scorers with a whopping 34 goals in 14 matches – four ahead of second-placed Al Hilal SFC (30) and 10 ahead of third-placed Yokohama (24).

Fifteen of those goals came from the quarter-finals onwards while, in addition to Rahimi finishing as top scorer, Kodjo Laba, who also bagged a brace on Saturday, finished joint second in the scoring charts.

Al Ain’s victory ensured that Hernan Crespo became the first Argentine head coach to lead a side to AFC Champions League glory. Tacticians from 13 different countries have now lifted the trophy.

Crespo is also the fourth South American to win the title following Brazilian pair Sergio Farias (Pohang Steelers) and Luiz Felipe Scolari (Guangzhou FC) and Uruguayan Jorge Fossati (Al Sadd).

Having been on the losing end in the 2016 final when Al Ain were beaten by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, it was a winning feeling this time round for the long-serving duo of Khalid Eisa and Ahmed Barman.

Goalkeeper Eisa was a near ever-present in the 2023/24 campaign, while Barman – who came on in the closing stages against Yokohama – made nine appearances in 14 games, most of which came from the bench as the duo finally got their hands on the prestigious title.

Yokohama’s top scorer Anderson Lopes may not have added to his six goals on Saturday, but the striker had more shots on target than any other player on the pitch.

The Brazilian had four efforts on goal in the second leg and all four were on target, although he was unable to find a way past Eisa.

Al Ain right-back Bandar Al Ahbabi was heavily involved in the second leg, with his 102 touches more than anyone else on the pitch.

The attacking full-back also delivered more crosses than any other player with a total of 12 – eight more than second-placed Rahimi’s four.

While the 5-1 second-leg victory may not have been as emphatic as the scoreline suggests, it was the second biggest win in an AFC Champions League final following Al Ittihad’s 5-0 away win at Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the second leg of the 2004 final.

The 6-3 aggregate victory also equalled the highest-scoring final and was the same scoreline that Al Ittihad beat Seongnam by 20 years previously.