Al Ain play Japanese club Yokohama F Marinos in this month's two-legged Asian Champions League final.
The UAE club, the only Emirati side to be crowned Asian champions, contest the first leg in Tokyo on Saturday, May 11. The return match takes place at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on May 25.
After topping their group, Al Ain's path to the final was far from easy, with Saudi powerhouses Al Nassr, led by five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, and Al Hilal, the four-time champions of Asia riding a 34-match win streak, their quarter-final and semi-final opponents respectively.
Here is a look back on Al Ain's path to the final:
Group stage
Al Ain finished top of Group A with 15 points after an impressive campaign that saw them win five of six matches with one defeat.
A 3-0 victory over Pakhtakor away in Uzbekistan in their opening game set the tone and was followed up with a 4-2 win over Turkmenistan side Ahal. A pair of wins over Saudi Arabia's Al Fayha (4-1 at home; 3-2 away) put the Garden City club firmly in control of the group before a setback in their fifth game – a 3-1 defeat at home to Pakhtakor.
With qualification to the knockout stage already secured, Al Ain rounded off their group assignment with a 2-1 victory at Ahal.
Last 16
Al Ain were paired with Group B winners Nasaf in the round-of-16. After a goalless first leg in Qarshi, it was the Uzbeks who went ahead in the return, Akmal Mozgovoy breaking the deadlock on 51 minutes. Nasaf's lead didn't last long, with Kodjo Laba giving Al Ain parity four minutes later. With the game seemingly headed to extra time, Sofiane Rahimi netted the winner two minutes into injury time.
Quarter-finals
Al Ain's reward was a mouthwatering tie against an Al Nassr side riding an unbeaten eight match run in the continent's premier competition and boasting superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack.
An electric night at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium saw Rahimi grab the game’s only goal, while Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Essa twice somehow repelled Ronaldo. Nassr's woes were compounded as defender Aymeric Laporte was shown a red card late on to rule him out of the return leg in Riyadh.
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Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo shows his frustration during the Asian Champions League quarter-final second leg against Al Ain at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on March 11, 2024. The UAE side won 3-1 on penalties after the match finished 4-3 to Al Nassr in normal time and 4-4 on aggregate. Reuters -
Al Ain players and staff celebrate after their victory over Al Nassr. Getty Images -
Sultan Al Shamsi scores Al Ain's third goal. Getty Images -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their fourth goal. Reuters -
Al Nassr's Aiman Yahya is shown a red card by referee Ahmed Al Kaf. Reuters -
Soufiane Rahimi scores for Al Ain. AFP -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo remonstrates with referee Ahmed Al Kaf. Reuters -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo during the match in Riyadh. AFP -
Al Nassr's Sadio Mane under pressure from Erik of Al Ain. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring Al Nassr's fourth goal. Reuters -
Kouame Kouadio of Al Ain is challenged by Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo. Getty Images -
Abdulrahman Ghareeb celebrates after pulling a goal back for Al Nassr in first-half added-time. Reuters -
Al Ain's Khalid Eisa and manager Hernan Crespo celebrate after Soufiane Rahimi's second goal. Reuters -
Soufiane Rahimi celebrates scoring for Al Ain. AFP -
Al Nassr attacker Sadio Mane controls the ball. Reuters -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after Al Ain's first goal. Getty Images -
The Al Ain team before the match. Reuters -
The Al Nassr team before the match. Getty Images -
Al Ain fans before the match. Reuters -
Soccer Football - Asian Champions League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Al Nassr v Al Ain - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 11, 2024 Al Nassr fans before the match REUTERS / Stringer
The second leg in Riyadh finished 4-3 to Nassr, with Essa at fault for three of the Saudi side's goals. The match went to extra time and then spot kicks, where Essa atoned for his earlier errors, saving Marcelo Brozovic's effort while Alex Telles and Otavio also fluffed their lines for the UAE club to triumph 3-1.
Ronaldo, who had moments before scored from the spot to force the shoot-out, departed the pitch visibly upset by the result.
Semi-finals
Al Ain were again paired with Saudi opposition, with Al Hilal heavy favourites as they entered the two legs riding an incredible 34-game win streak.
The first leg in Al Ain was postponed 24 hours due to the bad weather that had battered the Emirates. When it did kick off, Al Ain showed they would not be overawed by their Saudi opponents.
A first-half Rahimi hat-trick, including two penalties, gave Hernan Crespo's side a 3-0 lead before Malcom pulled a goal back shortly after the break. Kaku restored the UAE side's three-goal advantage when he slotted home their third penalty of the night before Hilal were awarded a spot-kick of their own on 78 minutes, converted by reigning Asian Player of the Year Salem Al Dawsari.
Crespo urged his players to embrace the pressure ahead of Tuesday's semi-final second leg and that was put to the test inside four minutes as Ruben Neves slotted home from the penalty spot.
But respond they did, with defender Erik applying the finish to Yahia Nader's pull-back from the edge of the Hilal area on 12 minutes.
Al Dawsari's goal after the restart had Hilal 2-1 ahead on the night but still trailing 5-4 on aggregate. Al Ain, held out, displaying defiance and durability to halt the Hilal juggernaut. The UAE's only winners of the continental title way back in 2003, Al Ain had secured a first Asian Champions League final appearance since 2016 and fourth overall.
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Al Ain's Soufiane Rahimi celebrates after his side reached the AFC Champions League final. The UAE club lost the semi-final second leg against Al Hilal 2-1 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh but went through 5-4 on aggregate. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Ain's Yahia Nader celebrates at the final whistle. -
Al Ain's Khalid Al Hashmi celebrates their ACL semi-final victory over Al Hilal. -
Al Ain's Park Yong-woo celebrates. -
Al Ain's Khalid Al Hashmi celebrates with teammates after the game. -
Al Ain's Alejandro Romero after they progressed. -
Al Ain's Alejandro Romero and Matias Palacios celebrate. -
Al Ain players after reaching the final. -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo celebrates. -
Al Ain's Alejandro Romero (L), Matias Palacios and Soufiane Rahimi (R) celebrate progression to the final after the 2nd leg of the AFC Champions League semi-final between Al Ain and Al Hilal. Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo after the victory. -
Al Ain's Park Yong-woo. -
Al Ain's Erik celebrates after scoring. -
Al Ain's Erik celebrates after scoring their goal. -
Al Ain's Erik celebrates his goal with Kouame Autonne. -
Al Ain's Erik celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal. -
Al Ain's players celebrate Erik's goal. -
Al Hilal's Ruben Neves scores their first goal from the penalty spot. -
Al Hilal's Ruben Neves celebrates his opener. -
Al Hilal's Ruben Neves retrieves the ball after scoring their opener. -
Al Ain's Matias Palacios battles with Al Hilal's Malcom. -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo on the touchline. -
Al Hilal's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic heads the ball clear. -
Al Ain fans at the Kingdom Arena. -
Al Ain supporters chant during the game. -
Al Ain fans during the match. -
Al Ain supporters.
