Al Rayyan players celebrate after Roger Guedes (right) scored their second goal.
Doha: Al Rayyan yesterday fought back to stun the reigning AFC Champions League (ACL) title-holders Al Ain with a 2-1 win in a high-stakes West Zone showdown.
At the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Mahmoud Trezeguet equalising in the 50th minute before Roger Guedes sealed the win in the 74th minute after Alejandro Romero had put the home side ahead in the 42nd minute.
The result lifted Al Rayyan’s points tally to eight while Al Ain remained on just two.
This also means Al Rayyan, now sixth in the West Asia standings, can still think of progression to the knockout stage while Al Ain’s hopes have virtually gone up in smoke.
Al Rayyan’s Portuguese coach Artur Jorge dubbed the victory as a milestone.
“We faced the reigning champions, and it was never going to be easy. The first half was tough, but we came back stronger and deserved this victory. It’s a big step towards qualification, and now our focus is on winning the next match against Esteghlal,” Jorge, who is in his first Asian assignment, said after the match.
From the opening whistle, Al Rayyan applied pressure on Al Ain. However, with halftime approaching, Al Ain finally broke through.
Soufiane Rahimi assisted Romero in scoring the opening goal, with the latter firing a left-footed shot into the top corner to put the home team ahead.
Following the break, the visitors draw level, with Murad Haji delivering a precise cross to Trezeguet who finished with a right-footed kick.
Al Rayyan then doubled the lead when a quick throw-in from Adam Bareiro allowed Guedes to smash a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
A win against Esteghlal FC on February 18 in the final round will propel Al Rayyan to the next round.
Meanwhile, at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Al Ahli Saudi FC fended off a spirited display to end Al Sadd’s unbeaten run in the Group Stage with a 3-1 win.
The result powered the Saudi team to the top of Group B with 19 points (six wins and one draw) while Al Sadd remained in the fourth spot with 12 points from three wins, three draws and one loss.
Both teams had already secured their places in the knockout stage.
The hosts made their intentions clear from the kickoff, with the recently crowned AFC Player of the Year Akram Afif giving them a dream start with a brilliant goal in the very first minute.
Approaching a precise pass from Algerian Youcef Atal, Afif fired a magnificent long-range strike from the right to send the ball into the bottom left corner.
However, Al Ahli found an equaliser just nine minutes later, with Roberto Firmino picking up Riyad Mahrez’s cross inside the box and flicking the same into the net.
After the scores were levelled, both sides pushed forward in search of the lead.
In the 31st minute, Afif curled in a free-kick for Boualem Khoukhi, who was marked offside.
Seven minutes later, Cristo Gonzalez nearly put Al Sadd ahead with a powerful shot from outside the box, but Al Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy managed to thwart his attempt.
Moments later, Al Ahli struck again. Capitalizing on a corner in the 39th minute, Firmino set up Ibanez, who slotted the ball in to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Al Sadd kept pushing hard for an equaliser in the second half with Afif leading the charge.
However, Al Ahli’s defense was too strong.
Al Ahli made it 3-1 in the 81st minute, when Ivan Toney broke past the defense and set up Mahrez, who calmly slotted the ball into an empty net as a VAR check later confirmed the goal.
Al Sadd will now aim to bounce back when they travel to Uzbekistan to face Pakhtakor on February 17, while Al Ahli Saudi FC are on the brink of a flawless group-stage campaign, with their final fixture coming up against Qatar’s Al Gharafa on the same day.
