Ace Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah scored two goals as Qatar’s Al Sadd beat the UAE’s Al Ain 4-0 in their 2020 AFC Champions League Round 4 Group D match at the Al Sadd Stadium on Friday.

Bounedjah scored in the 26th and 70th minutes. Akram Afif (56th) and substitute Rodrigo Tabata (86th minute) were the other scorers.

The two teams were locked in a 3-3 draw the last time they faced off three days ago, with Bounedjah, Santi Cazorla and 2019 AFC Player of the Year Akram Afif getting on the scoresheet for Al Sadd, while Kodjo Laba and Bauyrzhan Islamkhan got on the scoresheet for Al Ain supplemented by an own goal from Boualem Khoukhi.

Al Sadd had started off by playing out a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in Riyadh on 11th February and beat Iran’s Sepahan 3-0 in Doha on 18th February before the tournament was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This time around, Caio Canedo got a golden chance to draw first blood as he received a beautifully-weighted through ball that put him in on goal. He took on Khoukhi, then attempted a shot that Qatar international keeper Saad Al Dossari got a touch on to remove any danger.

Bounedjah opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark after receiving a chipped pass from Akram that put him clear on goal - the Algerian made no mistake as he placed the shot to Eissa’s left.

Al Sadd doubled their lead on the stroke of the hour when Bounedjah bombed down the right flank and placed a low through ball to Akram, the latter stretched to meet it and the UAE side were left to pick the ball out of the net.

Laba almost cut the deficit in half when he danced and dribbled his way through the defenders before lashing a ball with his left foot, but Al Dossari managed the slightest of touches to deflect it onto the crossbar and away from danger.

Bounedjah scored a second time when he latched onto a cross from the exceptionally-experienced Cazorla and hammered in his third goal of the campaign 20 minutes from time.

Rodrigo Tabata came on as a substitute late in the second half and made his mark on proceedings when he left a defender trailing before placing a shot in the roof of Eissa’s net with his left foot to finish the game off.