In the early morning of March 5, Beijing time, in the AFC Champions League quarter-final match of Riyadh Victory to challenge Al Ain, Riyadh Victory finally 0-1 defeated Al Ain.
The match started with both sides showing a strong desire to attack. Riyadh Victory, with their superiority in ball possession, kept on attacking, trying to break Al Ain's defense. However, Al Ain's defense was very solid, and they worked closely together and managed to hold off their opponents' attacks.
As the match progressed, Al Ain gradually adapted to Riyadh Victory's tactics and started to create threats. In the 22nd minute, Abbas sent a precise diagonal ball, Rahimi quickly inserted into the penalty area and fired a shot, but unfortunately, Riyadh Victory goalkeeper Ospina pounced on the bottom line. In the 27th minute, Romeu parried a shot from inside the box, but the referee ruled it offside and disallowed the goal. The penalty allowed Riyadh Victory to escape with a goal, while Al Ain continued to keep the pressure on their opponents. In the 44th minute, Al Ain seized the opportunity to counterattack and found Rahimi with a direct ball. Rahimi took a single shot at goalkeeper Ospina and scored easily, breaking the deadlock for Al Ain. Tens of thousands of fans were in an uproar, cheering for this wonderful goal. Facing a one-goal deficit, Riyadh Victory's desire to attack was even stronger. However, their offense didn't achieve much. In the 45th minute, Crowe blasted a shot from a small angle inside the penalty area, but it was parried out by Al Ain's goalkeeper. At the end of the half, Riyadh Victory failed to equalize the score.
The second half resumed and the two sides continued to battle it out. Although Riyadh Victory strengthened their offense, Al Ain's defense remained solid. In the 53rd minute, Riyadh Victory attacked from the right side of the field. Yahya passed the ball to the goal, but Crowe's shot was too high. After that, both sides failed to create too many threatening chances.
In the end, Al Ain defeated Riyadh Victory with a score of 1-0 after 90 minutes of intense fighting. The victory was significant for Al Ain as they managed to take the first leg. Riyadh Victory, on the other hand, need to reflect on their performance in this match.
