Dubai: Al Ahli Dubai came from behind three times to draw their Asian Champions League (ACL) group stage opener 3-3 at home to their Saudi Arabian namesake Al Ahli Jeddah on Wednesday.
Esmail Al Hammadi and Ahmad Khalil cancelled out efforts from Osvaldo and Hussain Al Moqahwi to go in at the interval 2-2, before Al Hammadi defied the odds to cancel out Taiseer Al Jassem’s second half strike despite the fact the home side had been reduced to 10 men.
Majed Nasser miss-cleared Abdul Aziz Haikal’s back pass on two minutes allowing the ball to pass under his leg, ready for Osvaldo to walk in the opener for the visitors.
Esmail Al Hammadi fired in an equaliser for the Red Knights on 21 minutes from Ahmad Khalil’s through ball, before the Saudis returned on 40 minutes when Hussain Al Moqahwi headed in Amer Fahad Al Kurdy’s cross.
The home side fought back again before the interval when Luiz Jimenez’s cross came back off Kurdy in the box, ready for Khalil to turn in a leveler on 43 minutes.
Taiseer Al Jassem put the Saudis back in front before the hour when he rounded the defence and shot across goal from the tightest of angles only for Nasser to palm into his own net on 57 minutes.
The Red Knight’s chances of getting back in the game appeared to be dented with 15 minutes to spare when Jimenez was sent off for a tackle from behind on Osvaldo.
But a third equaliser still came however, with ten minutes to spare, when Khalil’s shot was deflected out wide to Al Hammadi, whose subsequent shot was then smashed in by backtracking visiting defender Mohammad Abdel Shafi.