Al Ain FC Secures Spot in AFC Champions League Final Despite Loss
Al Ain FC of the United Arab Emirates has clinched its place in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League despite a 2-1 defeat to host team Al Hilal on Tuesday in the second leg of the semi-finals.
Playing at the Kingdom Arena, Portuguese player Ruben Neves put Al Hilal ahead with an early penalty in the 4th minute. However, Brazilian Eric de Menezes equalized for Al Ain in the 12th minute.
In the second half, Salem Al-Dawsari scored Al Hilal's second goal in the 52nd minute, but it was not enough to secure a spot in the final match.
Al Ain triumphed with an aggregate score of 5-4, following a 4-2 victory in the first leg at their home ground, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, last week. In that match, Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi stood out, scoring three goals.
Al Ain will face the winner of the match between Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea and Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan, which is to be played on Wednesday, in the final.