Video: First win in the AFC Champions League Elite: Al Ahli snuff out Al Wasl's enthusiasm at Zabeel
The Raqi side control the course of the match and get the job done
Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia snatched a thrilling 3-1 win away at hosts Al Wasl of the UAE on Monday evening, in the second round of the league phase of the AFC Champions League Elite, at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.
Both sides threw everything at settling the contest, and the lead swung more than once. Players clashed repeatedly. Video technology interventions cranked the temperature up to its maximum, particularly in the first half.
Roger Ibanez handed Al Ahli the initiative with the opener on 20 minutes, only for Pedro Malheiro to level things up deep in first-half stoppage time, in the 45+4th minute.
Trincao restored the Saudi side's lead on 58 minutes, and substitute Firas Al-Buraikan put the game to bed with a third in the 90+2nd minute. Both teams carved out dangerous chances along the way, with two balls thumping against the posts.
Al Wasl came out swinging, and Nicolas Gimenez almost opened the scoring in the fourth minute, only for Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Sanbi to block his shot from close range.
Siaka Sidibe fired over the bar moments later after being teed up by Mehdi Taremi, and the hosts earned a corner in the fifth minute.
Al Ahli hit back through Eduard Spertsyan in the 19th minute, with Al Wasl goalkeeper Dinko Horkas turning the effort behind for a corner. That set-piece proved costly. Roger Ibanez rose to meet Trincao's delivery and headed into the bottom left corner to put Al Ahli ahead in the 20th minute.
Nine minutes on, the visitors nearly doubled their advantage. Spertsyan cut in from the left inside the penalty area and struck with his left foot, but the ball smacked the left post.
Chances kept coming until the referee paused proceedings for a water break in the 32nd minute.
Once play resumed, an Al Ahli effort was flagged offside in the 36th minute, and Trincao squandered a chance inside the box two minutes later, collecting Ivan Toney's pass and shooting wide of the post. Al Wasl defender Adrielson picked up a yellow card in the 40th minute, a decision the video assistant referee technology reviewed and left unchanged.
Three minutes later, Adrielson strayed offside as the hosts pressed again. Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim signalled seven minutes of added time, and Al Wasl used it. Adrielson laid the ball off to Pedro Malheiro in the 45+4th minute, and the right-footed drive from outside the box flew into the middle of the net. Level again.
Trincão puts Al Ahli back in front, and the post defies Al Wasl
Al Wasl changed things at the break, sending on Sasa Ivkovic for Adrielson, while Al Ahli introduced Artem Bondarenko in place of Ziyad Al-Johani.
A corner for Al Ahli in the 46th minute set the tone. Ibanez rose to meet Spertsyan's cross a minute later, only to send his header over the bar. By the 52nd, Saeed Baatiyah had come close too, working a shot from a difficult angle on the right of the penalty area after a pass from Toney, but it slid past the post.
Fouls traded back and forth over the following minutes. Then Al Ahli regained the lead in the 58th.
Trincao signed off the goal, lashing a left-footed strike from the right-hand side inside the penalty area into the bottom left corner. 2-1.
Straight after the goal, Al Ahli withdrew Ivan Toney for Firas Al-Buraikan, while Al Wasl responded with two changes in the 59th minute, bringing on Cameron Puertas for Siaka Sidibe and Leandro Spadacio for Brian Palacios.
Serginho nearly levelled it in the 63rd minute, shooting from inside the penalty area after a pass from Puertas only to see the ball smack the right-hand post. The Al Ahli defence blocked Spadacio a minute later. Pedro Malheiro then wasted another chance in the 67th, dragging a shot from outside the area over the goal.
More changes followed. Al Wasl brought on Renato Junior for Nicolas Gimenez in the 68th minute, while Ibrahim Diaby came on for Al Ahli in place of Eduard Spertsyan. A minute later, an injury to Saleh Abu Al-Shamat halted the match. He left the pitch in the 75th minute, replaced by Mohammed Sulaiman.
Al-Buraikan delivers the knockout blow
Play resumed after a series of stoppages, and Al-Wasl won a corner in the 76th minute, before the match was halted for a water break in the 77th minute. After the restart, Matheus Saldanha came on for Al-Wasl in place of Mehdi Taremi in the 79th minute, while Bondarenko strayed offside during an Al-Ahli attempt.
Hugo struck the ball with his left foot from outside the area in the 81st minute, only to see it drift past the post. Serginho then won a free kick in the 83rd minute after a challenge from Ibrahim Diaby, who was booked for it.
The referee awarded another free kick in Serginho's favour in the 86th minute following a challenge from Saeed Baatiyah, before the match stopped in the 87th minute for treatment on Al-Wasl's Abdelrazak Boubola.
With Al-Wasl hunting an equaliser in the closing minutes, Al-Ahli landed the decisive blow in the 90+2 minute. Substitute Firas Al-Buraikan collected a long pass that sent him one-on-one with the Al-Wasl goalkeeper, set the ball up for himself and fired towards goal. The effort touched the keeper's hand before nestling in the net to confirm Al-Ahli's 3-1 victory.
