Qatari champions Al Sadd played out a highly-entertaining draw with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in Group D of the 2020 AFC Champions League at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Al Sadd had defeated Al Nassr in the quarterfinals of last edition before losing out in the semifinals to eventual champions Al Hilal, also of Saudi Arabia.

The hosts romped to a quick start, taking the lead inside seven minutes through Abderazzaq Hamdallah, who previously played for Al Rayyan in Qatar. The Moroccan striker found space inside the Al Sadd box to receive Yahya Al Shehri’s through pass and convert into the back of the net.

The home fans’ joy lasted just two minutes as Baghdad Bounedjah struck the equaliser for Al Sadd in the ninth minute. The Algerian beat his marker and connected with Pedro Miguel’s low cross from the right to restore parity.

The scenario was repeated in the second half, with both teams finding the net in the first 10 minutes. This time, however, it was Al Sadd who scored first.

Pedro intercepted Al Shehri’s attempted long pass inside Al Nassr’s half and supplied an overhead pass to skipper Hassan Al Haydous, who cut into his left foot and coolly slotted past Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones in the 48th minute.

Five minutes later, Al Nassr left-back Abdulrahman Al Obeid pounced on a poor defensive clearance to unleash a powerful drive into the top corner, bringing the game level again.