Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi stole the spotlight with a first-half hat-trick in Al Ain's 4-2 win over Al Hilal in the first leg of their Asian Champions League semi-final.
Al Hilal, the four-time Asian champions, had not failed to win a game since September last year, but Rahimi's performance turned the tide in Al Ain's favor.
The game was postponed for 24 hours due to heavy rain in the UAE, but that didn't deter Rahimi. He opened the scoring in the sixth minute and added a second from the penalty spot 20 minutes later. Rahimi completed his hat-trick in the 40th minute, converting another penalty.
Despite Al Hilal reducing the deficit early in the second half with a goal from Malcom, Al Ain continued to dominate. Another penalty, this time converted by Alejandro Romero, made it 4-1 for Al Ain. Al Hilal managed to score a second goal through Salem Al Dawsari in the 78th minute, keeping them in contention for the second leg.
In the other semi-final, South Korea's Ulsan secured a 1-0 win over Japan's Yokohama F-Marinos, taking a slender lead into the second leg.
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