Al-Ain thrash Al-Ittihad 4-1 as fan pressure mounts on coach Fiesing

Al-Ain defeated Al-Ittihad 4-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite, leaving the Saudi club ninth and its coach Jens Fiesing under pressure from fans.

• Al-Ain defeated Al-Ittihad 4-1 at Al-Inma Stadium in the fourth round, with Marwan Al-Sahafi scoring the hosts' lone goal.
• The win, Al-Ain's fourth straight, lifted the Emirati side to 12 points atop the Western group, where Al-Ittihad sits ninth on four.
• Fiesing said his players are "not machines" to change "with the press of a button," defended the squad, and accepted full responsibility for results.
• Ittihad fans on X called for Fiesing's dismissal after the loss, with some demanding a bigger role for George Illinikhina.