Yokohama v Al Ain: UAE side's formidable home record means ACL final is far from over

Hernan Crespo declared his trust in a turnaround, that the narrow defeat that had just terminated near Tokyo had not shaken his conviction.

Not long after, defender Khalid Al Hashemi rued how the opening leg of Al Ain’s first Asian Champions League final in an age had been decided by “the little details”. Yet he quickly reminded how the tie was still very much in the balance.

Kaku echoed his teammate’s sentiment; Park Yong-woo too. The disappointment was writ large – Al Hashemi spoke of the players being “devastated” – but there remains another chapter to be penned in this sudden rivalry with Yokohama F Marinos; another opportunity for Al Ain to grasp a second continental crown 21 years after the first.

On Saturday, at a thronged Yokohama International Stadium that bounced and beckoned on the hosts for the most part, Al Ain had not been at their best.

Granted, they were 1-0 up against Yokohama F Marinos as early as the 12th minute, Soufiane Rahimi devastating once more on the break, Mohammed Abbas supplying the finish from the rebound.

And they did have other moments, as well. Right on the half hour, Matias Palacios celebrated what he and Al Ain thought was a second goal of the night. Having raced off and revelled in front of their pocket of fans tucked away in the corner, VAR soon dampened Al Ain’s delight. Palacios had gone a fraction early to receive the ball that set him free. The call was tight; those pesky VAR lines had to be applied.

Yet Yokohama created chances of their own. Their finishing was wayward at times, at others Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Essa was inspired.

But, faced with the unfamiliarity of a first Champions League final and the pressure that brings, Yokohama fought back. Eventually, Harry Kewell’s