Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Tsukasa Shiotani's late goal earned Al Ain a 1-1 away draw against Group D rivals Esteghlal in Matchday Four of the AFC Champions League on Monday.
Al Ain tried to open the scoring early in the game, but Rayan Yaslam's left footed effort missed the target by a narrow margin 12 minutes in. Omar Abdulrahman tested the goalkeeper from outside the box but Seyed Hosseini was alert and made the save in the 24th minute.
Three minutes before the half time whistle, Mame Thiam's fourth goal of the competition restored parity from the spot after Farshid Esmaeili was brought down inside the box.
Six minutes after the restart, Al Ain's Marcus Berg's shot was saved following a headed pass from Abdulrahman.
Al Ain continued to dominate and push for an equaliser, and they were finally rewarded in the 78th minute when Shiotani unleashed a powerful shot that left the Iranian goalkeeper helpless.
Esteghlal host Al Rayyan on Matchday Five, while Al Ain welcome Al Hilal to Hazza bin Zayed Stadium next month.