Al Gharafa could not keep their perfect record against Emirati sides this season, as they were defeated by a well-plotted Al Wasl comeback.

UAE’s Al Wasl came from behind to score a stoppage-time winner against Al Gharafa in Al Khor’s Al Bayt Stadium, denying the Qatari side their second win at the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite this season.

Captain Ferjani Sassi’s goal on the 44th minute gave Al Gharafa the lead, yet Al Wasl scored in 84th and the 92nd minute to salvage a 2-1 win, their second of the ongoing ACL Elite campaign.

Fabio Lima’s penalty goal was followed by Isaac Success’ strike two minutes into the stoppage time to deny Al Gharafa, who had a perfect record against Emirati sides this season prior to the encounter.

The Cheetahs had qualified for the group stages after a 1-0 win against UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli and had pulled off an upset after winning 4-2 against defending champions Al Ain in their previous game.

It was, however, a wasteful clash in front of goal for the hosts on Tuesday, despite starting on the front with a star-studded attacking line-up.

Al Gharafa had registered eight shots in the first half, compared to Al Wasl’s three, and were rightly put in the lead by their captain of the night.

Sassi capitalised from close range, following a corner kick, to put the hosts in the lead with just a minute of regular time left before the break.

Although chances landed for Spanish forward Joselu, Algeria’s Yacine Brahimi, Fabricio Diaz, and Romanian winger Florinel Coman, none of them managed to hit the target.

Al Wasl then started to pile pressure after the break and were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute, following a handball from Abdalla Yousif inside the box.

The spot kick, given after a VAR check, was the game’s decisive moment, according to Al Gharafa’s head coach Pedro Martins.

“The game was under control until the 80th minute,” he said after the loss. “The penalty kick tipped the balance in favour of our opponents.”

Fabio Lima then sent Al Gharafa’s shot stopper Sergio Rico the wrong way, shooting the penalty right down the middle to equalise.

It was then pandemonium for Al Gharafa’s defence as Milos Milejovic’s side kept knocking with multiple breaks inside the box.

Repeated pressures finally paid off for the UAE-based side as Isaac Success converted Alexis Perez’s pass from the middle of the box in the 92nd minute.

“We deserved to win,” Milejovic said, referring to his side’s late lunge. “We were the better side in the last minutes, when we put pressure and got the result we were looking for.”

With six points in three matches, Al Wasl now sit fifth in the West region’s table, two spots ahead of seventh-placed Al Gharafa, who have just one win in their tally.