Mohammed Noor grabbed a hat-trick as five goals in the final 25 minutes helped Al Ittihad down ten-man Nagoya Grampus to virtually seal their place in the AFC Champions League final.

Akira Takeuchi was sent off after just six minutes of the semi-final, first leg for a professional foul, but the Japanese side overcame the setback to twice take the lead through Josh Kennedy and Naoshi Nakamura. However, the visitors ran out of steam in the closing stages and Gabriel Calderon's side took full advantage to establish a healthy lead for the return leg in Nagoya next Wednesday.

After Igor Burzanovic had wasted an early chance, Nagoya were reduced to ten men when Amine Chermiti outpaced Takeuchi as they chased a defence-splitting pass, before the latter clipped the midfielder's heels just outside the box, resulting in an inevitable red card. However, Nagoya stunned the hosts after 14 minutes when Kennedy met Hayuma Tanaka's cross six yards out, and the Australian striker's powerful header from six yards gave keeper Mabrouk Zaid no chance.

Ahmed Hadid equalised for Al Ittihad in the 25th minute, when he collected Noor's pass in the box and fired a shot across keeper Koichi Hirono and into the far corner. Nakamura, though, restored Nagoya's lead eight minutes later when he showed good strength to hold off defender Saleh Al-Saqri, allowing the striker to turn and shoot past Zaid.

Noor almost drew Al Ittihad level for a second time in the 57th minute when the midfielder brought down a diagonal ball, twice turned a Nagoya defender only for his sidefoot finish to come back off the inside of the post. The Al Ittihad skipper was not to be denied, though, and he equalised nine minutes later when Chermiti nodded Rashed Al Rahab's cross back across goal and Noor rose highest to head beyond a diving Hirono.

The hosts took the lead in the 76th minute when a scramble in the box ended with Shohei Abe blocking Noor's shot. The ball came back out to the midfielder and he lashed it into the top corner from 12 yards.

Nagoya were tiring rapidly and conceded a fourth when Hirono brought down substitute Felix Luciano in the box, and the Argentinian found the bottom corner with the resulting penalty. Noor completed his treble in injury time in unorthodox fashion, meeting Chermiti's delightfully lofted cross with a sliding volley that again came back off the inside of the post. However he managed to head in the rebound despite laying prone on the turf.

Chermiti then completed the scoring when he beat Hirono to a through ball and knocked it into an empty net.