Al Ain storm into AFC second round
al ain — Garden City club Al Ain thumped Uzbek side Bunyodkor 3-0 to progress into the Round 16 of the AFC Champions League as Group C leaders with 12 points. Also, Al Ain continued their winning streak in the continental matches.
And Omar Abdulrahman added glitz to the victory by scoring from a classy free-kick at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Ainawis in their hundreds and handful of Bunyodkor fans ensured much-needed vibrancy with drums and chants in the game. Playmaker Omar set the tone with a long-range effort and attacks started. In the 34th minute, Al Ain went ahead through striker Nasser Al Shamrani. It was a measured pass from Omar to Al Shamrani, who managed to fox Otabek Shukurov in the backline and net. Keeper Murod Zukhurov got a hand to the ball but couldn’t parry Al Shamrani’s ripper.
And suddenly the floodgate of opportunities opened for Al Ain. Minutes later, Omar and Al Shamrani again combined for a one-two but the Saudi forward hit the target. Winger Danilo Asprilla tormented the defence with his pace and once had Zukhurov in tizzy with a cheeky chip. Caio Lucas gave keeper Zukhurov tough shots to handle.
The first half also offered pleasing sights in 18-year-old midfielder Mohammed Khalfan and defender Saeed Juma confidently involved in the proceedings. Khalfan showed good understanding with ‘Amoory’. On one occasion Khalfan went down grimacing following a challenge and half the team was around to check-out the youngster.
In the second-half, Bunyodkor came back strongly and Al Ain’s one-goal advantage was increasingly under threat. Midfielder Alisher Sanayev’s shot sailed over the bar and striker Vadim Cemirtan made some rampaging runs from the left flank but Al Ain defence was always up to the challenge. With 20 minutes to go, Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic replaced Khalfan with young striker Yousef Ahmed.
In the 77th minute, Al Ain won a free-kick just outside the danger area. And phone cameras were out in numbers as Omar stepped in for the free-kick. The Al Ain ‘Boss’ didn’t disappoint as the delivery easily curled into the left top corner. Keeper Zukhurov had no chance.