Yasser Al Qahtani's goal in the 30th minute was enough to lift Al Ain to a 1-0 Etisalat Cup victory over Diego Maradona's Al Wasl last night at the Tahnoon bin Mohammed Stadium.
The Saudi international made a diagonal sprint behind the Wasl defence and was fed the ball by Mirel Radoi, the Romanian midfielder.
Al Qahtani unleashed a heavy shot from the corner of the area, sending it past the advancing Ahmed Mahmoud.
Each side had a man sent off, and Al Ain's coach, the Romanian Cosmin Olaroiu, was removed from the dug out and sent to the stand after remonstrating with the referee in the moments following Al Qahtani's goal. Al Ain's victory avenged a 1-0 loss away to Wasl last weekend and lifted them past the Dubai club and into second place in Group A.
Al Ain went down to 10 men in the 22nd minute when Musallem Fayez was shown a straight red for a dangerous tackle from behind on Mariano Donda, Wasl's Argentine playmaker.
Wasl were unable to take advantage of their advantage, however, and they went down to 10 in the 62nd minute when Edson Puch, the Chilean midfielder, was sent off after planting the studs of his right boot on the calf of Al Ain's Abdulaziz Fayez.
Wasl pressed steadily for an equaliser, and only an acrobatic save by Walid Salem from a powerful shot by Essa Ali from 25 yards kept the ball from sailing just under the bar.
Four cautions were shown in the edgy match, and Al Ain fans were on their feet in the final stages.
Elsewhere, Emirates rebounded from a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Al Jazira seven days previously to hold the leaders of Group A to a 1-1 draw in Ras Al Khaimah.
Mohsine Moutaouali, the Moroccan midfielder, came on after 15 minutes to replace the injured 18-year-old Walid Anber and scored in the 42nd minute.
Jazira levelled in the 58th minute with Abdulraheem Jumaa connecting with a diving header from a Matias Delgado pass.
Emirates were reduced to 10 men in the 65th minute when Hareb Mohammed was shown his second caution of the match, but even with all four of their expatriates in the line-up, Jazira were unable to break down Emirates.
The hosts nearly won the game in the final minutes when Pejman Nouri, the Iranian, chipped a shot over the Jazira goaltender, Khalid Saif Al Sinani, but was ruled offside, albeit by a scant margin.
Yousuf Jaber scored in the 39th minute as Baniyas defeated strugglers Sharjah1-0.
Sharjah lost 4-0 to Baniyas away last week, and remain the only side in the cup competition without a victory.
Baniyas have won three consecutive matches, one in the league and two in the cup, since Salem Al Orafi, the Emirati, took over as interim coach after Jorvan Vieira was dismissed.
Baniyas played without David Trezeguet, as well as the playmaker, Amer Abdulrahman, who is on duty with the Olympic team.
Teams in the domestic flight return to Pro League play next weekend.
The Etisalat Cup resumes in February.
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Second leg:
Monday, Azizi Stadium, Tehran. Kick off 7pm
Know before you go
Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Sunday's fixtures
Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
