Rahimi’s hat-trick hands Al Ain big win
Crespo’s side score 4-2 win over Al Hilal in AFC Champions League semis 1st leg
Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal saw their record run of 34 successive victories end yesterday at the hands of UAE’s Al Ain in the Asian Champions League.
Morocco striker Soufiane Rahimi was the star of the show after he scored a firsthalf hat-trick in a 4-2 win for Al Ain in their semi-final first leg. Al Hilal, the four-time Asian champions, last failed to win a game in September last year when they drew a Saudi Pro League match.
Yesterday’s game had been postponed 24 hours after torrential rain swamped the UAE and the record-setting Saudis must have wished it had kept raining.
Rahimi opened the scoring after just six minutes from a pass by Yahia Nader and added a second from the penalty spot 20 minutes later after he was brought down by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais who was yellow carded for his troubles.
Rahimi completed his hattrick in the 40th minute, again from a penalty after Ali Al Bulayhi chopped down Brazilian defender Erik in the area.
Al Hilal reduced the deficit early in the second period when Malcom scored from a pass by Sergej MilinkovicSavic.
However, the Saudi team conceded yet another penalty just before the hour mark with Kalidou Koulibaly bringing down Rahimi.
This time Paraguayan star Alejandro Romero took over spot-kick duties to make it 4-1 for Al Ain, the inaugural winners of the Asian Champions League in 2003.
Salem Al Dawsari kept Al Hilal in the tie ahead of next Tuesday’s return leg by scoring his team’s second goal of the night in the 78th minute.
Ulsan edge Yokohama
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Ulsan claimed a slender lead in their Asian Champions League semi-final with a 1-0 win over Harry Kewell’s Yokohama F-Marinos in yesterday’s first leg.
The victory also clinched Ulsan’s place at next year’s Club World Cup.
They qualified as one of Asia’s highest-ranking teams and will be one of 32 sides appearing at the expanded competition in the United States.
Lee Dong-gyeong scored in the 19th minute at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium to give the South Korean champions the advantage heading into next week’s second leg in Japan.
Former Liverpool and Leeds forward Kewell replaced fellow Australian Kevin Muscat as Yokohama coach at the start of the year.
Ulsan made the brighter start and Um Won-sang should have done better when Gustav Ludwigson teed him up in front of goal following a stray pass from the Yokohama defence.
Lee showed him how it was done just over five minutes later, firing Ulsan in front with a crisp left-foot shot from Joo Min-kyu’s lay-off.