Video: First win in the AFC Champions League Elite: Al-Ahli extinguish Al-Wasl's enthusiasm at Zabeel

Al-Raqi controls the course of the match and gets the job done

Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia snatched a thrilling 3-1 win away at Al-Wasl of the UAE on Monday evening, in the second round of the league phase of the AFC Champions League Elite, at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.

It was Al-Ahli's first Asian win of the campaign. They had opened their league phase with a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor.

Twists came thick and fast. Both sides went looking for the win, tempers flared more than once, and the players clashed on several occasions. Video technology interventions cranked the temperature up to boiling point, particularly in the first half.

Roger Ibanez handed Al-Ahli the lead in the 20th minute and they held the initiative until Pedro Malheiro levelled deep into first-half stoppage time, in the 45+4th minute.

Trincao restored the advantage on 58 minutes before substitute Firas Al-Buraikan sealed it in the 90+2nd minute. Both teams carved out dangerous chances along the way, with two efforts rattling the posts.

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Al Ahli ease Al Wasl's pressure early through Ibanez's head
Al Wasl came flying out of the blocks, and Nicolas Gimenez should have had the opener inside four minutes, only for Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Sanbi to block his shot from close range.
Siaka Sidibe fired over the bar moments later after a Mehdi Taremi pass, and the hosts earned a corner in the fifth minute.
Al Ahli hit back through Eduard Spertsyan on 19 minutes, Al Wasl goalkeeper Dinko Horkas tipping the effort behind for a corner.
That corner proved costly. Roger Ibanez climbed to meet Trincao's delivery on 20 minutes and headed into the bottom right corner of Horkas's net.

Spertsyan nearly made it two on 29 minutes, cutting in from the left inside the box and curling a left-footed effort against the left post.
More chances followed before referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim called a water break on 32 minutes.
Back under way, Al Ahli saw an attempt chalked off for offside on 36 minutes. Trincao then squandered a gilt-edged opening two minutes later, collecting Ivan Toney's pass inside the area and dragging his shot just wide of the post. On 40 minutes, Al Wasl defender Adrielson was booked, with a VAR review leaving the decision unchanged.
Adrielson strayed offside three minutes later as the hosts pressed again. Al Jassim added seven minutes of stoppage time, and Al Wasl found their equaliser in the fourth of them. Pedro Malheiro lashed a right-footed drive from outside the box, the ball brushing Al Sanbi's hand on its way in. Level pegging.
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Trincao puts Al Ahli back in front as the post denies Al Wasl
Al Wasl rang the changes at the break, Sasa Ivkovic replacing Adrielson, while Al Ahli sent on Artem Bondarenko for Ziyad Al Johani.
A 46th-minute corner for Al Ahli set the tone. Ibanez climbed to meet Spertsyan's cross a minute later but headed over the bar. Saeed Baatiyah then went close on 52 minutes, stabbing at goal from a tight angle on the right of the box after Toney's pass, only to see it drift past the post.
Fouls broke up the next spell, until Al Ahli struck again on 58 minutes through Trincao. The winger curled a left-footed effort from the right side of the area into the far corner for 2-1.

Straight from the restart Al Ahli withdrew Ivan Toney for Firas Al Buraikan. Al Wasl answered with a double change on 59 minutes, Cameron Puertas on for Siaka Sidibe and Leandro Spadaccio on for Brian Palacios.
The equaliser nearly arrived on 63 minutes. Serginho struck from inside the box after Puertas teed him up, and the ball cracked off the right post.

Al Ahli's defence threw themselves in front of a Spadaccio shot a minute later. Pedro Malheiro then squandered another opening on 67 minutes, firing over from outside the area.
More changes followed. Al Wasl sent on Renato Junior for Nicolas Gimenez on 68 minutes, and Ibrahim Diaby came on for Eduard Spertsyan at the other end. Play stopped a minute later when Saleh Abu Al Shamat went down, and he left the pitch on 75 minutes to be replaced by Mohammed Sulaiman.
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Al-Buraikan delivers the knockout blow
Play resumed after a series of stoppages, and Al-Wasl won a corner in the 76th minute, before the match was halted for a water break in the 77th minute. Matheus Saldanha then came on for Al-Wasl in place of Mehdi Taremi in the 79th minute, while Bondarenko strayed offside during an Al-Ahli attempt.
Hugo struck the ball with his left foot from outside the area in the 81st minute, but it went past the post. Sergiño won a free kick in the 83rd minute following a challenge by Ibrahim Diaby, who was booked for it.
In the 86th minute, the referee awarded another free kick in Sergiño's favour after a challenge by Saeed Baatia, then the match was stopped in the 87th minute for treatment to Al-Wasl player Abdul Razzaq Boubola.
While Al-Wasl were chasing an equaliser in the closing minutes, Al-Ahli landed the decisive blow in the 90+2 minute, as "Gulf 27" top scorer Firas Al-Buraikan netted the third goal.
Al-Buraikan collected a long ball that put him one-on-one with the Al-Wasl goalkeeper, set himself up and fired towards goal. The ball brushed the keeper's hand before nestling in the net, sealing a 3-1 win for Al-Ahli.
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