Al Rayyan were defeated 3-1 by Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the 2024-2025 season AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 first leg at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium of Al Rayyan club on Tuesday.

Galeno (30th minute), Riyad Mahrez (34th minute), and Feras Al Brikan (90+5 minute) scored for the Saudi side, while Roger Guedes pulled one back for the hosts in the 71st minute as Al Ahli took a two-goal lead away from Doha at the end of the very interesting encounter, which saw Al Rayyan's Adam Bareiro shown the red card late into the closing minutes of the match.

The home team was the first to threaten the goal in the seventh minute, as Abdulaziz Hatem found space in the center but sent his long-range attempt wide of the target.

In the 12th minute, Al Rayyan faced pressure when goalkeeper Paulo Victor blocked a close-range shot from Ivan Toney, which came from Ali Majrashi’s cross, and Andre Amaro subsequently cleared Galeno’s attempt following a deflection.

The Qatari side squandered an opportunity to take the lead in the 23rd minute when Al Ahli's goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, came off his line to mitigate the initial threat, only for Thiago Mendes to send his shot agonizingly wide.

Mendy was called into action again five minutes later, as he parried Roger Guedes' powerful shot from within the box, before Al Ahli surged forward to take the lead in the 30th minute.

Roberto Firmino delivered a cross into the six-yard box, where Galeno rose above the defenders to head the ball into the top right corner.

Al Rayyan encountered a setback four minutes later when goalkeeper Victor mishandled a back pass from Ameed Mahajneh during a goalmouth scramble, allowing Riyad Mahrez to strike a free kick from inside the area into the top corner.

Al Rayyan pulled one back in the 71st minute with Guedes delivering a right-footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. The assist was by Ahmed Al Rawi.

Ten minutes later, Al Ahli believed they had regained their two-goal cushion when Gabri Veiga capitalized on a rebound from a set piece, but his goal was disallowed after a VAR review.

In stoppage time, Guedes came close to leveling the score when he found himself in the box, only to be denied by the crossbar. However, Al Ahli extinguished any hopes of a comeback as Al Brikan completed a counter-attack, finishing off a layoff from Galeno in the fifth minute of added time.

The situation deteriorated further for Al Rayyan when Adam Bareiro received a red card for a reckless challenge on Fahad Al Rashidi, leaving them to conclude the match on a disappointing note and facing a significant challenge in the upcoming return leg.