The hosts took the game to their opponents’ half from the start and Leonardo was a constant nuisance for the Ittihad defence as he repeatedly tried his luck from outside the box in the opening quarter of an hour.

The Clarets took the lead 16 minutes into the game following a lapse of concentration from Ittihad captain Ahmed Asiri.

Backed by a capacity crowd at Karbala Sport City Stadium, Al Zawraa started on the front foot as Abbas tested Al Wasl goalkeeper Humaid Abdulla from range 17 minutes in, but the Emirati goalkeeper tipped the shot behind for a corner.

The home crowd were sent into raptures as Al Zawraa skipper Samal Saeed fired home the opening goal halfway through the opening period.

The defender capitalised on a poor headed clearance by Abdulla Jassim to take the ball on the half-volley with his left, leaving the goalkeeper watching as his thunderous strike nestled into the back of the net.

With AFC Champions League firsts, a returning star and an intriguing match-up all part of this week’s action, the-AFC.com has picked out five things to look out for on Matchday Two.

The 32-year-old, who has played across Europe and Central America since leaving his native land, has in that time also earned over 90 international caps, played at three FIFA World Cups and won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, where he was also named MVP of the tournament.

We take a look back at the Samurai Blue icon's career ahead of to his homecoming to learn more about his football journey in the slideshow above.

Photos: Getty Images

After a disappointing group stage exit last year, Al Hilal started their 2019 campaign with a bang, earning an important 1-0 win on the road against Al Ain last week to get off the mark.

Tuesday's encounter against Qatar's Al Duhail marks Al Hilal's first-ever continental match at their new home of King Saud University Stadium, which they had moved to in 2018.

Esteghlal and Al Ain had most recently clashed in the 2017 edition in the round of 16. Back then, Kaveh Rezaei gave the Iranian side a 1-0 win in Tehran, but an Omar Abdulrahman masterclass inspired the Emiratis to a 6-1 thumping in the return leg in Al Ain.

Since then, Rezaei and Abdulrahman have both left for pastures new. Esteghlal reached the quarter-finals in 2018, while Al Ain exited at the round of 16 last year.