Zobahan 0-3 Al Ain
Al Ain: Asprilla 25‘, O Abdulrahman 60’, M Abdulrahman 81’
Man of the match: Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain)
Al Ain moved top of Group C and bounded into the Asian Champions League knockout stages, at times riding their luck, at times carried forward by Omar Abdulrahman’s extraordinary talent.
The Garden City club, still not fully recovered from that final defeat to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last November, entered their match against Zobahan on Monday night in Iran in danger of letting this campaign slip away, but instead eventually drove to a 3-0 victory and guaranteed their place in next month’s last 16.
Danilo Asprilla, Abdulrahman and brother Mohammed Abdulrahman got the goals and, with it, Al Ain the spoils. It really should not have been so straightforward.
It nearly was not. To their credit, Zobahan were quick out of the blocks at a raucous Foolad Shahr Stadium, laying siege to the Al Ain goal, testing both their unfamiliar line-up and Khalid Essa, their traditional No 1. The UAE goalkeeper was excellent throughout, but in those opening exchanges he spared Al Ain’s blushes, laying the platform for a what will on the surface appear a convincing win.
Essa was fortunate in the ninth minute, though, when his own mistake presented Morteza Tabrizi with a golden opportunity to score, only for the Zobahan captain to shoot inexplicably straight at the UAE international with the goal at his mercy. The visitors, who began Matchday 5 third in their group, looked shaken.
Perhaps that much was to be expected, given they could not field their usual starting XI. Salem Juma and Khalid Abdulrahman were deployed at full-back, Mohammed Abdulrahman occupied – strangely – a space at the base of the Al Ain midfield, while Yousef Ahmed led the line in what was his first Champions League start.
Yet Al Ain survived that early onslaught, got to grips with the formation and with their Iranian foes, and took the lead midway through the first half. Almost out of nowhere, winger Caio’s cross found Danilo Asprilla and, although the Colombian completely mis-hit his volley, it bounced high off the turf and past Mohammed Mazaheri in the home net. He could get only fingertips to the ball.
However, moments before half-time, Zobahan should have been level. It was a case of two penalties: one that was not given, when Juma had clearly hauled down Ehsan Pahlevan, and the other that was awarded, but wasted woefully. In that instance, Ismail Ahmed was penalised after the ball deflected onto his arm, but Jerry Bengston simply chipped his spot-kick straight at Essa. Bengston could only stare at the Al Ain goalkeeper in dismay.
Right on the hour, dismay turned to despair. It was then that Omar Abdulrahman collected the ball deep in the Zobahan half, wrestled free of two markers, advanced towards the Zobahan goal and placed a perfect shot low inside the hosts’ post. It was Abdulrahman’s fourth goal in five Champions League games this year, Asia’s reigning player of the year reinforcing his obvious talent.
Abdulrahman turned provider with nine minutes remaining, rolling the ball through an opponent’s legs to tee up Mohammed Abdulrahman for Al Ain’s third of the night. It was his brother’s third assist of the campaign, too.
Essa still needed to be at his best before full-time, but Al Ain still carry on regardless. Around this time last year, they defeated Zobahan in the last 16. Now, the 2003 Asian champions are back there, fears allayed for now, no doubt eyeing another run to another final.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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