DOHA, May 29: The Asian Football Confederation confirmed that the second leg of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League final was marked by numerous records, particularly the outstanding performance of striker Sofiane Rahimi, who reached his 13th goal in the current edition. This achievement ties the record for the most goals ever scored in a single edition of the tournament.

Al Ain claimed the title after defeating Yokohama 6-3 on aggregate, losing the first leg 1-2, and winning the return match 5-1. This victory brought Al Ain’s total to 33 goals, the highest in the current edition, followed by Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal with 30 goals, and Japan’s Yokohama, which ranked third with 24 goals.

The AFC stated on its official website, “Sofiane Rahimi’s double in the second leg of the final raised his tally to a record 13 goals in the tournament, equaling the best total of goals ever in a single edition, a record previously achieved by Muriqui of Guangzhou (2013), Adriano of FC Seoul (2016), and Baghdad Bounedjah of Al-Sadd (2018).”

Rahimi earned both the top scorer and the best player awards for the tournament, having scored 9 goals in the knockout rounds.

The Asian Confederation noted, “Al Ain Club, which won its first continental title 21 years ago against Thailand’s Tero Sasana in the 2002-2003 final, and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2016, has now become the champion of both the first and last editions of the competition, which will be revamped next season.”

The Confederation highlighted that Al Ain scored 15 goals from the quarter-finals onward, with Sofiane Rahimi and Laba Kodjo leading the competition's scoring charts. Rahimi topped the tournament with 13 goals, followed by Kodjo with 8 goals.

Coach Hernan Crespo made history as the first Argentine to lead a team to the AFC Champions League title, increasing the number of countries with title-winning coaches to 13. Crespo also became the fourth South American coach to win the title, following Brazilians Sergio Farias (Pohang Steelers) Luiz Felipe Scolari (Guangzhou), and Uruguayan Jorge Fossati (Al Sadd).