Al Rayyan opened their 2022 AFC Champions League Group A campaign by beating Tajikistan’s Istiklol by a 3-2 margin at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Friday.

Reigning champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Sharjah FC of the UAE are the other teams in Group A.

Al Rayyan next face Al Hilal, while Istiklol play the UAE’s Sharjah FC on Monday.

The thrilling match saw Mukhammadzhon Rakhimov put Istiklol in front, but they soon saw their lead wiped out by goals from Yacine Brahimi and Yohan Boli, only for Muhammad Isaev to draw them level.

Al Rayyan, however, took the points, thanks to Boli’s second goal in the 71st minute.

Istiklol started brightly and took the game to their opponents from the start, with Eric Bocoum finding space in the centre, but his shot from distance was blocked by Al Rayyan defenders.

Istiklol’s early aggression paid off as they took the lead after just three minutes, Rakhimov starting the move in midfield when he cut across before setting up Shakhrom Suleymanov, who scored with a curling effort from outside the box.

Istiklol’s dominance, however, began to wane after that as Al Rayyan attacked in numbers, forcing the Tajikistan side to defend deep in their own half.

Al Rayyan’s persistence paid off in the eighth minute when captain Brahimi scored in spectacular fashion, firing his free-kick into the bottom right corner past Istiklol goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov.

Al Rayyan doubled their lead with a minute left in the half through Boli, who squeezed his effort past a packed defence following a wonderful team move.

The game sprung to life in the 67th minute when Al Rayyan failed to clear the ball from inside the six-yard box, leaving an unmarked Muhammad Isaev to blast home the equaliser into the top left corner.

Al Rayyan, however, had the final say, with Boli scoring with a simple tap-in four minutes later, courtesy of Nikita Chicherin’s flick-on off a corner.