Al Ain maintained their flawless start to the 2026-27 AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite campaign with a decisive 4-1 win over Iraq’s Air Force Club, also known as Al Quwa Al Jawiya, at the Basra International Stadium on Monday. This victory, occurring in Matchweek 2, keeps the Emirati side at the top of the West Region standings on goal difference.
The visitors dominated the first half, beginning with a 13th-minute opening goal from Kaku. Momentum stayed with Al Ain five minutes later when Air Force defender Saed Al Rousan accidentally turned the ball into his own net. El Houssine Rahimi then added to the tally in the 23rd minute and capped off his brace just before the interval, sending his team into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead. “The match was decided in the opening 15 minutes.
Although Air Force managed a consolation goal in the 89th minute, it could not dampen the impact of Al Ain’s performance. The result follows an impressive 4-0 opening-round victory against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, bringing Al Ain’s total tally to eight goals scored and only one conceded across their first two fixtures.
Reflecting on the match, Al Ain head coach Vladimir Ivic expressed satisfaction with the first-half display but urged his squad to maintain better focus. “Congratulations to my players. We came here to win and played good football in the first half, creating plenty of chances,” Ivic noted, adding that defensive lapses in the second half allowed their opponents to threaten with a penalty and additional chances. He stressed the necessity of staying locked in from start to finish. “We must stay fully focused from start to finish. According to it was a difficult game and we tried to make adjustments in the second half,”, Jabar. “I knew this would be a tough match.
Air Force head coach Rasheed Jabar admitted that the early flurry of goals effectively settled the outcome. While he acknowledged the difficulty of rallying from a four-goal deficit against high-quality opposition, he took some solace in the team’s improved, more organized second-half showing. Jabar stated that the performance after the break offers a foundation for improvement. “The positive was that we produced an acceptable performance in the second half, both individually and as a team.
In other ACL Elite action, Al Ahli Saudi FC secured a 3-1 win over Al Wasl FC at Zabeel Stadium. The two-time defending champions fell behind early when Roger Ibanez scored in the 20th minute. Despite Pedro Malheiro equalizing for Al Wasl in first-half stoppage time, Al Ahli responded strongly with second-half goals from Trincao and Feras Al Brikan.
Al Ahli manager Marino Pusic praised his team’s character and discipline throughout the match, noting the importance of these traits given the current congested fixture list. With a crucial domestic encounter against Al Nassr ahead, Pusic emphasized the immediate need for player recovery to ensure physical and technical readiness. According to “I am extremely proud of my players and their performance,”, Pusic. “What matters most to me is the character and qualities they possess, particularly given the intense schedule we are currently navigating. “I am pleased with the players’ fighting spirit and high level of discipline on the pitch.
Conversely, Al Wasl head coach Rui Vitoria lamented his team’s missed opportunities and a critical 10-minute lapse in concentration following their equalizer. While he felt his team started the game well, he admitted that failing to sustain that intensity cost them the match against a resilient opponent.
