In the early hours of the morning, Al Ain defeated Yokohama Mariners, who were down to 10 men at half-time, in a thrilling 5-1 home win in the second leg of the 26th AFC Champions League final. The two-legged match was won 6-3 on aggregate, making Al Ain the only Emirati team ever to win the AFC Champions League after a 21-year hiatus.
Aaan suffered a 1-2 defeat on the road in the first leg, but the team didn't get discouraged and quickly adjusted to the situation at home. Only eight minutes into the match, striker Lachimé broke the deadlock with a brilliant shot. He was followed by 27-year-old Moroccan international Kagou, who scored a beautiful "tennis ball" from 12 yards out to give Aïaan a two-goal advantage. The Yokohama Mariners capitalized on a mistake by the defense, and N'Souza got a goal back in the 40th minute. However, at the start of the second half, keeper William Parkby cleverly kicked the ball out of the box, and Lakshmi was sent off with a red card.
In the second half, Yokohama Mariners' counter-attack was weak as they were playing with one man less. After Ai Aan scored another goal from Lachenme, substitute Rabah scored twice in stoppage time to seal the 5-1 win, their second AFC Champions League title since 2003.
In the process of advancing to the championship, Aaan made his way through the ranks, eliminating Ainas, led by Cron, and a strong Saudi Hilal team. The star's performance was certainly worthy of this championship honor.
