Al Sadd, Al Ain split points in 1-1 draw
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Qatar s Al Sadd shared points with UAE s Al Ain following a 1 1 draw in their opening AFC Champions League Elite match at Hazza Bin Zayed...
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s Al Sadd shared points with UAE’s Al Ain following a 1-1 draw in their opening AFC Champions League Elite match at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain yesterday.
Playmaker Akram Affif handed the Wolves lead in the closing stages of the first half, before Matias Palacios equalised for the reigning champions in the 80th minute.
Both sides wasted early chances with Afif pulling his shot wide in the third minute, while Al Ain’s Soufiane Rahimi miscued a volley two minutes later.
Al Ain threatened again in the 11th minute when Rahimi beat the offside trap, only for his shot to bounce off the left post before he was denied again by Al Sadd keeper Meshaal Barsham in the 21st minute.
Al Sadd came close to breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute, Afif timing his dummy run before setting up Mohamed Camara for a powerful strike that forced a save from Khalid Eisa.