In the first leg of the AFC Champions League final, Yokohama Mariner faced Al Ain at home, and finally Abbas scored, Asahi Uechu equalized, Watanabe Shota overtook him, and Yokohama Mariner defeated Al Ain 2:1 reversal, occupying the opportunity to compete for the championship, and the second leg of the game will be played at Al Ain's home stadium.
Yokohama Mariner advanced to the round of 16 as the first in Group G, eliminating Bangkok United 3:2 in the two legs of the 1/8 finals, Shandong Taishan 3:1 in the two legs of the 1/4 finals, and Ulsan Hyundai in the semifinals on penalties. The team has not performed well in the J-League, having been winless for four games and is currently in 13th place.
Ain advanced to the round of 16 as the first in Group A, eliminated Nassaf 2:1 in the two legs of the 1/8 finals, then eliminated Riyadh Victory with Ronaldo in a penalty shootout, and eliminated the Saudi hegemon Riyadh Crescent 5:4 in the semifinals. However, Al Ain is currently only third in the UAE League, 16 points behind the top of the table.
In the first half of the game, in the 11th minute, Rahimi used his personal speed to beat Eduardo, the shot in the box was blocked, Abbas scored a supplementary goal, and Ain broke the deadlock on the field 1:0.
In the 25th minute, Ain scored another goal, Palacios received a direct plug from his teammates, burst into the penalty area with a half-single goal, and pushed the goal from a small angle, but it was slightly offside, the goal was blown away, and the Yokohama Mariners escaped.
At the end of the half, the Yokohama Mariners had the advantage of attacking, but the ability to grasp the opportunity was lacking, and no goal was scored, especially in the stoppage time of the half, Nam Tae-hee's empty goal opportunity was pushed off, and the Ain striker was very strong in his personal ability, and the team that was able to eliminate the Riyadh Crescent was really resilient, and Ain temporarily led 1:0.
In the second half, in the 71st minute, Yokohama Mariner equalized, Jan Mateus crossed from the right, Uechu Asahi scored with a header in the penalty area, Yokohama Mariner equalized 1:1, Uechu Asahi continued the excellent performance in the semifinals, and the first leg of the final saved again.
In the 83rd minute, Yokohama Mariner crossed from the right, Miyaichi Ryo shot at the back point and turned into an assist, Watanabe Shota pushed in front of the goal, and Yokohama Mariner overtook 2:1.
In the end, at the end of the game, the Yokohama Mariners had the advantage of attack, and finally reversed the game, and the championship took the lead, and there was a great chance to attack the first AFC Champions League championship trophy in team history. Ain has only lost one goal away thanks to goalkeeper Issa's excellent performance, and they can also accept this result and still have a chance to return to their home stadium in the second leg.