Al Shabab 1-4 Al Ain
Al Shabab: Jo 38'
Al Ain: Omar Abdulrahman 2', Bastos 21', 50', Emenike (pen) 44'
DUBAI // Fellipe Bastos took off towards the corner flag and danced a little jig.
And well he might, since the Al Ain midfielder had just notched his second goal of the night, a low strike from an acute angle to go along with an expertly converted earlier free kick.
Another telling contribution, it increased Al Ain's lead against Al Shabab to 4-1 at the Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium, not long into the second half, but leaving the Dubai club not long enough to make up the deficit.
Facing one of the Arabian Gulf League’s hitherto undefeated sides, this was the UAE champions exerting their authority.
It was timely, too, coming just days after Al Ahli, those familiar foes, hogged the headlines by booking a spot in the final of the Asian Champions League.
Until now, that was strictly Al Ain’s domain.
So the Garden City club responded as quickly as they could, going a goal up against Shabab inside two minutes. Omar Abdulrahman, their chief creator, drilled a half-volley into the Shabab net following goalkeeper Salem Abdulla’s weak punch. Sporting the captain’s armband, it was a skipper’s intervention.
Bastos then got in on the act, curling his 21st-minute free-kick just inside the post.
The Brazilian, a summer signing from Vasco da Gama, is slowly proving his worth.
His compatriot, Jo, halved Al Ain’s advantage with a tidy finish 17 minutes later, but right on half time the visitors were two goals up again.
This time, Shabab’s Mahmoud Qassim inexplicably handled the ball in the area. Emmanuel Emenike coolly slotted home from the spot.
Asamoah Gyan’s unenviable successor, he has now six goals in seven matches.
So Bastos made it 4-1 five minutes into the second half with another fine strike, leaving Shabab with too steep a climb. Temporarily unseated from top spot in the table, Al Ain casually clambered back to their usual perch.
Man of the match
Fellipe Bastos, Al Ain: The midfielder's goals were both fantastic, but his all-round play was exemplary. Allowed the freedom to get forward by teammate Lee Mying-joo, Bastos linked well with Omar Abdulrahman throughout. Substituted on the hour to a rousing reception. Deserved.
What they said
Caio Junior, the Shabab coach: "It was a bad night. Everything was in favour of Al Ain: yellow cards, fouls, goals. This is football, but we need to prepare for the next game against Al Nasr. Our last loss was in April, so it has been a long time. Al Shabab is a different team now. We can change the situation — believe me, I will give my players the confidence and we will play very well against Nasr."
Zlatko Dalic, Al Ain manager: "I told my players two days ago in the meeting that if they want to win against Al Shabab they must play their best match this season.
“OK, we scored a free-kick and a penalty, but it’s football. It’s not easy playing against Shabab — they are a strong team, a competitive team, very intelligent team. But today my team played their best, played how I wanted. They were aggressive, were strong, and played football.”
The National’s verdict
This represented a tricky test for Al Ain, but they came through it relatively easily. The champions’ foreign contingent look considerably different to last year but, even without the suspended Ryan Babel, their superiority sustains. They were simply more ruthless than Shabab.
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