AL AIN // It was not pretty at times, but Al Ain grabbed a slight upper hand in the battle for an Asian Champions League semi-final berth.
The Garden City club began their season with a crucial home tie against Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday, a tense and taught first leg that concluded with neither defence breached. That should favour Al Ain, the UAE’s only continental champions, as they go in search of a second Asian crown knowing an away goal in Tashkent in three weeks’ time will push them towards the last four.
Given the circumstances, the 0-0 seemed all right. Zlatko Dalic had used his pre-match press conference to stress how his side were considerably undercooked.
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Six of his starting line-up against Lokomotiv were involved in the recent month-long camp with the UAE national team and so joined their club squad only 10 days before what was a significant start to the campaign. Lokomotiv, meanwhile, are 19 rounds into the Uzbekistan top flight, and sit five points clear.
Even despite the mercury levels flitting between 42 and 43C (107-109F), Al Ain began the brighter, carving a couple of chances for Douglas within the opening 13 minutes. Yet the Brazilian, who can be footballing marmite, failed to make hay, firing over from 14 yards and then miscontrolling an Omar Abdulrahman through-ball. Although still early in the game, the Al Ain fans made clear their disappointment.
By then, Abdulrahman – one of four on the teamsheet – was exerting control, the crown jewel of the quartet, even beside Amer Abdulrahman, the summer’s prize signing who was making his competitive debut. Caio, the other recent recruit, performed admirably as well, his confidence growing as the match wore on.
Typically, Omar Abdulrahman carried Al Ain’s main threat and came close to opening the scoring on 19 minutes only to watch Ignatiy Nesterov, the veteran Lokomotiv goalkeeper, palm away his free kick.
The visitors, though, had the first half’s best chance, when midfielder Sardov Mirzayev somehow sidefooted a cross high over Khalid Essa’s crossbar from six yards out. It was a let-off for Al Ain, only too aware how weighty an away goal could be. Minutes later, Essa did well to thwart another Lokomotiv attempt, tipping over a half volley from Sanjar Shaakhmedov.
It came as little surprise that the second half was a much more staid affair, given Al Ain’s supposedly inadequate preparations and the Uzbeks’ unfamiliarity with the sapping conditions.
The match sparked just on the hour, once full-back Mohammed Ahmed blazed over a square ball that ran right across the Lokomotiv penalty area. Five minutes later, Gevorkyan Artur curled a free kick inches past an Al Ain post, a timely reminder of the Uzbeks’ threat.
The final 10 minutes livened to such an extent that both sides could have won it. Danilo Asprilla was put clear through by Caio, but the Colombian winger did what he so often does and failed to provide the end product. Nesterov had saved, yet Asprilla should not have gifted him the opportunity.
Then, in the space of a minute, Mirzayev shot high over Essa’s goal from an admittedly acute angle, before Ibrahim Diaky, a substitute for the impressive Caio, headed Asprilla’s cross high into the stands.
There was still enough time for Essa to save Al Ain’s skin right at the death, when the UAE goalkeeper got a toe to a deflected cross that was creeping inside his near post. It sealed the stalemate, guaranteed Al Ain another crack at progression when the two teams reconvene on September 13. Sights are now trained firmly on Tashkent.
In Tuesday’s earlier quarter-final, first leg Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Shanghai SIPG could only manage a 0-0 draw against Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Shanghai invested heavily since securing a place in the last eight in May, bringing Brazilian striker Hulk to the club for an Asian transfer record of €55 million (Dh228m) from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg. The 30-year-old frontman missed this tie with an injury, however, as did Argentine playmaker Dario Conca.
Eriksson, a former England manager, still had plenty of firepower to deploy though, with two-time ACL winner Elkeson and forward Wu Lei both starting.
The 2006 Asian champions Jeonbuk showed why they sit 10 points clear at the top of South Korea’s K League Classic, edging a physical first half and coming closest to opening the scoring with Leonardo’s effort that struck the post.
Shanghai looked dangerous going forward in the second period, and Lu Wenjun drew a smart save from Kwoun Sun-tae from a free kick just outside the area soon after the restart.
Yu Hai and Wu also went close with headers but couldn’t find the target.
In Wednesday’s quarter-finals, FC Seoul play Shandong Luneng while El Jaish takes on Al Nasr.
QUARTER-FINAL FIXTURES:
All matches are UAE time
Tuesday, August 23
• Shanghai SIPG 0 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0
• Al Ain 0 Lokomotiv 0
Wednesday, August 24
• FC Seoul v Shandong Luneng, 2.30pm
• El Jaish v Al Nasr, 8pm
Return legs to be played September 13 and 14 respectively.
* With additional reporting from Associated Press
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