AL-ITTIHAD (2004)
have put the UAE side in the driving seat but 87 minutes into the second leg they were 4-2 down and heading for a 6-6 aggregate draw and extra time. Then Iranian Farhad Majidi popped up to grab the decisive goal and book a spot in the final.
Spearheaded by UAE captain Mohamed Omar, the Emirati side went on to beat Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana 2-0 in the first leg. A 1-0 loss in the return leg in Bangkok was enough for Al-Ain to claim a maiden continental crown, the first for a UAE side.
The trophy would stay in the Gulf for another two years thanks to Saudi powerhouse Al-Ittihad. In the 2004 final, they prevailed in a ding-dong between two commanding domestic champions. The Jeddahbased outfit had won the previous season’s Saudi league by 14 points from Al-Shabab while Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma had a mammoth 19-point gap as they took the K-League title. The South Koreans carried that form into the continental competition, sweeping all before them on the way to the final, including a ruthless 11-2 aggregate annihilation of Sharjah in the quarterfinals. A 3-1 victory in the first leg of the final in Saudi Arabia seemed insurmountable for Al-Ittihad but an unforgettable night in Seongam was to follow.
In an incredible turnaround, the Saudis scored five unanswered goals in front of a stunned Korean crowd. Hamzah Idris, Redha Tukar and a Mohammed Noor brace took the score to 4-0 before a 95th-minute goal from Manaf Abushgeer put the icing on the cake.