Al Ahli's closest rivals must have despaired. Defeat to champions Al Ain would have breathed life back into the title race. Instead, after the league leaders came away with a 3-2 win, the Arabian Gulf League title is a massive step closer.
Cosmin Olaroiu, back on the touchline for the first time in four months, came, saw and conquered. Now the man who led Al Ain to the past two league titles is set to make it a personal treble with their bitterest rivals.
Even the most optimistic of Al Shabab or Al Jazira supporters will now not believe that the league title is not heading to the Rashid Stadium.
For Ahli supporters, thoughts have inevitably turned to a dream that is getting closer to reality by the match; a domestic treble of the AGL title, President’s Cup and UAE League Cup.
Perhaps the more ambitious are thinking of a quadruple, if you throw in the Asian Champions League, in which Al Ahli are sitting handily in second place after three group matches.
No doubt Olaroiu and his back-room staff will hardly entertain such grandiose thoughts at this stage and will continue to preach professionalism to the end.
“There are still six games left, it does not mean anything,” Al Ahli’s assistant coach, Catalin Raducan, said on Sunday.
“We have done nothing up until this point and have six difficult games remaining.”
Three of Al Ahli’s next four league matches are against the three teams immediately below them in the table, with the derby away to Al Shabab on April 27 potentially the title decider.
By then, the first leg of the treble could be wrapped up on April 19, when Al Ahli take on Al Jazira in the League Cup final at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
Meanwhile, Al Ain will have one last chance to spoil their rivals’ season when they meet in the President’s Cup final on May 18.
As ever when teams are fighting on several fronts, the biggest danger will come from a relentless fixture list.
The League Cup final falls between Al Ahli's last two Champions League group matches, against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia at home and then away to Qatar's Al Sadd, the group's current leaders.
The temptation for Olaroiu, some might say duty, is to ensure that the first piece of silverware of his reign is safely won.
Should this, though, come at the risk of missing out on Champions League progress?
If that is not enough, hot on the heels of the trip to Doha comes the title showdown at Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium against an Al Shabab team that would be playing their first match in 17 days.
There is a reason why quadruples, trebles and even doubles are so rare.
The League Cup has only been contested since the 2008/09 season and no team has had a clean domestic sweep since.
The double of the league and President’s Cup has been achieved but remains a tall order.
One team winning both has happened on only five occasions: Al Ahli in 1974/75, the first season the President’s Cup was played; Al Nasr in 1985/86; Al Shabab in 1989/90; Al Wasl in 2006/07; and Jazira in 2010/11.
If any squad can handle the pressure, physical and mental, it is Olaroiu’s men, especially the club’s rampant forward line. Brazilian captain Grafite, at 35, shows no sign of slowing down, his two goals against Al Ain taking his tally to 15 in the league.
The signing of Ciel from Al Shabab has also proved inspired, with the Brazilian scoring 11 league goals in his first season at the club.
Meanwhile, Luis Jimenez and Hugo Viana continue to pull the strings from midfield. Even UAE international forward Ahmed Khalil, on the sidelines more often than not, scored what proved to be the decisive goal on Sunday. He also netted the opener in the club’s latest Champions League match, the 2-1 win against Sepahan in Iran.
For Olaroiu, it all seems to be coming together at the right time.
Last season, Al Ahli were arguably the best team in the country by the end of the season, knocking champions-elect Al Ain, and Olaroiu, out of the President’s Cup last four before winning the final 4-3 against Al Shabab.
With an imposing fixture list in the next two months awaiting them, they will need to be even stronger this time around.
If they can do it, the rewards will be unprecedented.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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