An Egyptian, a Moroccan and an Al-Hilal star in the team of the first round of the AFC Champions League Elite

The Asian Football Confederation announced today, Sunday, the official team of the first matchday of the league phase in the AFC Champions League Elite.

An Arab duo from the UAE's Al Ain made the cut: Egypt's Rami Rabia and Morocco's Hussein Rahimi, both key figures in the thumping 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr.

Rabia held a UAE defence firm against Al Nassr. Rahimi did his damage further forward, netting twice, with his brother Soufiane adding a goal and Giacomakis completing the rout in Al Alami's net.

Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal also landed a spot through their standout star, Portugal's Ruben Neves, who tucked away a penalty in the 2-1 win over Qatar's Al Gharafa.

The team of the first matchday of the league phase in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026-2027 lined up as follows:

Goalkeeping: Vladimir Nazarov (Pakhtakor).

Defence: Kofi Kwao (Neftchi), Rami Rabia (Al Ain), Jang Hyun-soo (Al Gharafa), Lee Myung-jae (Daejeon Citizen).

Midfield: Hussein Rahimi (Al Ain), Takashi Usami (Gamba Osaka), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Prince Ampem (Shanghai Port).

Attack: Aleksandar Cavric (Kashima Antlers), Ngefa Rakotoharimalala (Ratchaburi).

Among the West Asia teams, Al Ain top the standings on 3 points after the first matchday, ahead on goal difference of Esteghlal Tehran, Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia's Al Qadsiah, Tajikistan's Neftchi and the UAE's Shabab Al Ahli Dubai.

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