Al Rayyan secured a vital 2-1 away victory against reigning champions Al Ain of the UAE at the end of an highly-anticipated match in the seventh round of 2024-2025 season AFC Champions League Elite (West Zone) at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE on Monday.

Al Rayyan secured a comeback win with Mahmoud Trezeguet (50th minute) restoring parity for The Lions after Al Ain’s Alejandro Romero had opened the scoring in the 42nd minute. Roger Guedes’ 74th minute strike sealed the first victory in Asia for coach Artur Jorge as Al Rayyan advanced to eight points in the points tally while the Emirati side remained on two points with the hopes of defending their continental crown seemingly coming to an abrupt end.

The home team, which has faced difficulties in defending their Asian title, required a victory in their campaign to maintain their chances of advancing to the last 16, and the mounting pressure was evident in the initial moments of the match. Al Rayyan’s Thiago Mendes squandered a chance when Khaled Eisa’s inadequate clearance fell to Guedes.

After the Brazillian forward passed the ball to his compatriot, the Al Ain goalkeeper made a commendable save to atone for his earlier mistake. Shortly thereafter, Mohammed Awad misfired, sending his shot wide of the Al Rayyan goal following a swift counterattack. Al Ain gradually found their rhythm and, in the 24th minute, Soufiane Rahimi scored with a volley, only for the goal to be disallowed due to an offside call.

The momentum shifted dramatically as Guedes was thwarted on the goal-line by Khaled Al Hashemi’s timely clearance. Shortly thereafter, Matias Palacios of Al Ain attempted a long-range shot, which was expertly deflected by Paulo Victor as he dove to his right.

With just over three minutes left in the first half, Al Ain finally found the net. Rahimi advanced down the left flank, skillfully maneuvering towards the Al Rayyan goal before passing to Romero, who executed a precisely placed left-footed shot into the top corner.

Eisa needed to be at his most alert following the restart to thwart David Garcia's effort; however, in the 50th minute, he was largely helpless as Trezeguet successfully converted a cross from Murad Haji on the right. The Egyptian skillfully controlled the ball with his left foot before finishing with his right.

Palacios came remarkably close to regaining the lead for Al Ain in the 69th minute, striking the crossbar with a long-range effort while the goalkeeper was left vulnerable. This missed opportunity would haunt the home team just six minutes later. A swiftly-executed throw-in by Adam Bareiro into the penalty area caught the defence off-guard, and after letting the ball pass across his body, Guedes delivered a powerful left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

In the 82nd minute, Victor successfully gathered Rahimi’s header, which had been directed towards the goal following Bandar Al Ahbabi’s free-kick, as Al Ain desperately sought a chance in the closing moments. However, their efforts proved futile as Al Rayyan maintained their lead.