Qatar’s Duhail defeat Al Ain in AFC Champions League
DOHA, May 9, 2018 - Qatar's Al Duhail continued their impressive run in the 2018 AFC Champions League with a dominating 4-2 away win over UAE's Al Ain in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday .
The QNB Stars League champions ran through their opposition after goals from Youssef El Arabi, Nam Tae-hee, Ismail Mohamed and Almoez Ali. Substitutes Ahmed Khalil and Ibrahim grabbed two back for the hosts. The return leg takes place in Doha next Tuesday.
Last night's victory meant Djamel Belmadi's men became only the second ever team in AFC Champions League history to win their first seven games in the competition. They had six wins from as many matches in the group stage to become the first team since Kashima Antlers in 2010 to progress with a 100 percent record.
The Red Knights have never won the premier Asian title before, but they showed yesterday that they have it in them to create history in 2018. This was the first ever encounter between these two teams in the AFC Champions League.
Ahead of the match, Belmadi had spoken about how Duhail will approach the match against UAE champions Al Ain without any fear. And they walked the talk in what was the biggest real test of their title credentials.
The visitors started the game the more energetic side and stunned the home fans when Moroccan striker El Arabi struck in the 16th minute. Al Ain goalkeeper Khaled Eisa did well to save El Arabi's initial header but the Al Duhail frontman pounced on the rebound and hit a powerful effort that went in off Mohamed Ahmed.
Tae-hee then doubled the lead for the Qataris in the 39th minute with a magnificent solo effort. The Korea Republic star nutmegged Ahmed Barman near the halfway line before sprinting away from Mohamed Abdulrahman and netting past Eisa to make it 2-0.
Al Duhail picked up from where they left off in the second half and Ismail Mohamed put his side further ahead in the 48th minute with a fine chip over Eisa, after being set up by Tae-hee.Tae-hee was involved in Al Duhail's fourth goal just seven minutes later, threading a through ball for Almoez Ali, whose fierce low strike went in at the near post to give the Qatari side a scarcely believable 4-0 lead.
Al Ain's fightback only gathered steam towards the last half hour, with two substitutes helping them reduce the deficit. Former AFC Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil was first, heading in from close range in the 68th minute to make it 4-1. In the 86th minute, Ibrahim Diaky popped up in the six-yard area to slam home a rebound after Amine Lecomte parried Omar Abdulrahman's free-kick. The hosts went searching for a third goal but the night got worse for them as Caio was shown the red card for violent conduct.
Four away goals means Duhail has one foot in the quarter-finals. Still the only UAE club to win the Champions League, Al Ain will have their work cut out to progress to the quarter-finals.
Al Ain now need to score three goals in Doha in the return leg and hope that Duhail doesn't score, to keep their last eight chances alive.
The match in Doha next week represents Al Ain's final fixture of a largely successful season in which they secured the Arabian Gulf League title for the first time in three years and also clinched the President's Cup crown. It marked the first time in the club's history that they completed that double in the same campaign. But against a dominant Duhail strike force the hosts had no answers on the night.
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