Al Ain return home with full points

dubai — Al Ain, working with 10 men in the closing minutes, capitalised on two errors by the opposition for a 2-1 win over hosts Al Nasr in round four of the Arabian Gulf League, Sunday night.

Led by the brilliant playmaker and captain Omar Abdulrahman, the Boss dictated terms early in the first half but The Blues brought themselves back into the picture with a crisp display of pleasing midfield moves, mainly orchestrated by skipper Tariq Ahmed, Man of the Match Ahmed Ibrahim and the quietly efficient Jonathan Pitroipa.

Al Ain went ahead in the eighth minute, more from opportunism rather than anything else when after receiving a pass about 10 yards outside the box, Caio Lucas weaved past an Al Nasr defender before going in for the shot, and only had a minimal angle to operate from. His powerful shot should have been stopped by the onrushing Nasr keeper Ahmed Shambih who did not cover the small gap next to the first post (1-0).

Al Nasr had a chance to restore parity in the 17th minute when Ismail Ahmed’s feeble spotkick to the left of Al Ain keeper Mohammed Bu Sanda was parried away to safety.

But Al Nasr came roaring back into contention when Abdelziz Barada curved a freekick beautifully past the Al Ain wall including the towering Ismail Ahmed in the 21st minute (1-1).

The game went 2-1 in favour of the visitors when a defensive lapse saw the ball go into an open Nasr net. While going in for a long clearance, Jirez Kembo’s effort inside the box unfortunately hit the back of teammate Khalid Jalal in the 24th minute and Nasr keeper Shambih, out of place by now while trying to assist, helplessly saw the ball enter the cage.