Al Ain Secures Third Straight Victory in AFC Champions League with 2-1 Win Over Tractor FC

Al Ain of the UAE has continued its flawless performance in the AFC Champions League Elite league stage, securing a 2-1 victory against Iran's Tractor FC at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Monday. The scoring was opened by Al Ain's Ramy Rabia in the 21st minute. Tibor Halilovic managed to equalize for the visitors, who faced significant travel challenges to reach the UAE, in the 55th minute. Houssine Rahimi then sealed the win for Al Ain with a decisive goal in the 70th minute.

This marks Al Ain's third consecutive win, accumulating nine points from three matches and maintaining their perfect record and leadership in Group B. Al Ain coach Vladimir Ivic expressed his pride in his team's efforts, stating, "It was a very difficult match for both teams. We are satisfied with the three points, and I congratulate the players."

Looking ahead, Al Ain is set to face Saudi Pro League powerhouse Al Ittihad, who also secured a 2-1 win against Neftchi Fergana on Monday. Ivic is anticipating the upcoming challenge: "We will be playing against powerful football teams that possess very seasoned players, but we are ready to take on the challenge. We managed to claim three victories and we still have five matches to go."

The team is hopeful for the swift return of star Moroccan forward Soufiane Rahimi, who was sidelined due to a muscle injury sustained during the President's Cup match against Shabab Al Ahli. "The image is not fully clear until now, and we are awaiting the final analysis," Ivic commented on Rahimi's condition.

In other news, Al Ittihad manager Jens Wissing praised his team's resilience in their comeback victory over Neftchi. Youssef En-Neysri's late strike in the 90th minute secured the win after a hard-fought match. "Big compliments to our opponents who made it difficult for us," said Wissing. "In the first half, we had a few problems in getting our attacking game going but we had more chances to score and make it an easier game. They also had their chances but overall, I’m very happy about the performance and the team did very well." Wissing downplayed the impact of the penalty that led to Neftchi's early lead through Jamshid Iskanderov in the 17th minute, emphasizing the team's ability to adapt and maintain focus: "Mistakes can happen so we had to adapt a bit. It was not a big thing. The team stayed calm and remained focused on winning the game. We are always focused until the end."