Al Ain looked jaded from missing out on winning the Asian Champions League crown yet managed to lift their spirits enough in the second half to return with three points from Al Dhafra in their first game in the Arabian Gulf League in four weeks.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors meant the Garden City side were beaten 3-2 over the two legs, and they showed signs of a hangover in the opening minutes of their trip to the Western Region.
Adil Hermach scored with a header off a corner to put the home side in the lead after only four minutes. It could have been even worse for the visitors had Makhete Diop’s effort not drifted agonisingly wide eight minutes later.
Omar Abdulrahman saw a left-foot effort crash against the bar but the half-time whistle could not come soon enough for Zlatko Dalic’s men.
But Al Ain looked refreshed from the 15-minute interval and equalised seven minutes after the restart as defender Ismail Ahmed was rewarded for his bravery when his diving header from a long ball from Bandar Al Ahbabi left Dhafra goalkeeper Ali Hassan stranded.
Abdulrahman, who is expected to be crowned Asian Player of the Year at the Asian Football Confederation Awards tonight in Abu Dhabi, put Al Ain in front with a penalty following a handball from Issam El Badoua. “For a side returning to the domestic league just four days after playing in a tough ACL second-leg final, the win was what mattered,” said Abdulrahman.
“We had a lot of tired players and we are glad this game is behind us now. This game became a lot harder after Dhafra had scored early but the players showed real character to come back from a goal down.”
When asked for his thoughts for the Asian award, he added: “If I win, I’ll be glad and it will be for the whole country, if not, I wouldn’t lose any sleep.”
The three points took Al Ain’s tally to 16 and one above the now sixth placed Al Ahli who have played two games more than the Garden City Club.
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