Al Ahli up and running in AFC Champions League Elite title defence with comeback win over Nasaf

Mahrez and Sulaiman score deep into time added on to seal 4-2 victory, while Sharjah beat 10-man Al Gharafa

Left: Al Ahli midfielder Enzo Millot scored twice in Al Ahli’s comeback win over Nasaf. Right: Riyad Mahrez was also on target in Al Ahli’s AFC Champions League Elite opener. Photo: Al Ahli FC

Asian champions Al Ahli fought back from two goals down to beat Uzbekistan's Nasaf 4-2 in their AFC Champions League Elite opener in Jeddah on Monday, thanks to stoppage-time goals from Riyad Mahrez and Mohammed Sulaiman.

A Husain Norchaev double gave Nasaf a two-goal lead going into the break, but Al Ahli came out for the second half all guns blazing, with recent signing Enzo Millot netting twice in three second-half minutes to restore parity.

The Frenchman, a €35 million summer signing from VfB Stuttgart, punished a mistake by goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov in the 65th minute to slot into an empty goal from distance and capitalised on hesitant defending to quickly score again.

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By now, Matthias Jaissle's side were in the ascendancy, and Mahrez put the Saudi side ahead for the first time with a goal four minutes into added time before Sulaiman wrapped up the three points 11 minutes later. Nasaf ended the game with 10 men following Alibek Davronov's late sending-off.

"Everybody had to give 100 per cent in the second half, we had to do more and attack the box to score goals and we did it," said 23-year-old Millot.

The win sees Al Ahli open up their western phase campaign, in which the 12 teams play eight matches and the top eight finishers will advance to March's knockout rounds.

Jaissle praised the turnaround, crediting his players for showing resilience under pressure.

“It was a difficult match. We weren’t fully present in the first half and conceded twice, but we knew we had to show our character in the second half,” he said.

“Watching the players fight together and respond with such passion in front of our supporters was fantastic. This win means a lot because it shows our identity and the kind of football we want to play.”

Wins for UAE's Wahda and Sharjah

Al Ahli's Jeddah rivals Al Ittihad slipped to a shock 2-1 defeat to the UAE's Al Wahda.

Steven Berwijn had given Laurent Blanc's Saudi champions the lead, but Muhannad Al Shanqiti's sending-off for a reckless challenge on Facundo Kruspzky changed the game.

Caio Canedo levelled from close range in the 62nd minute and, deep into added time, Lucas Pimenta pounced after Pedrag Rajkovic blocked Ala Zouhir's header.

Another UAE club, Sharjah, also picked up a win with two stoppage-time goals against 10-man Al Gharafa of Qatar, earning a 4-3 victory for last season's Asian Champions League Two winners.

First-half goals from Yacine Brahimi and Joselu put the visiting Gharafa in control before Rey Manaj and Ousmane Camara struck around the hour mark to level.

Former Real Madrid and Spain striker Joselu restored Al Gharafa's lead, but an 86th-minute red card for goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar swung the game in Sharjah's favour, Manaj slamming in a free kick and Igor Coronado sliding home a winner in the 100th minute.

Qatar's Al Sadd fought back to draw 1-1 with Iraq's Al Shorta in Baghdad, Hassan Al Haydos scoring in the 62nd minute to cancel out Dominique Mendy's deflected 28th-minute opener for the hosts.