Nasaf 1 (Karimov 1’)
Al Ain 1 (Asprilla 31’)
Man of match Khalid Essa (Al Ain)
Aiming for a quick response to last week's domestic disappointment, Al Ain received a swift setback in their supposedly redemptive Asian Champions League encounter against Nasaf in Uzbekistan.
The UAE champions, requiring victory to secure qualification to the knockout stages with one group game to spare, fell behind in the first minute at the Karshi Central Stadium, when they fell asleep at a corner kick.
Nasaf's Maksud Karimov ghosted in and stabbed home unmarked at Khalid Essa's far post, and in the process threatened to twist further the knife. If last Thursday's Arabian Gulf League title-defining defeat to Al Ahli still stung Al Ain, then this clearly would not have helped.
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But Al Ain did eventually respond, a double response of sorts, to steal a point and creep closer to where they want to be. Danilo Asprilla grabbed the equaliser just after the half-hour, when his fine run and low finish ensured Al Ain need only a draw in the return fixture at home in two weeks’ time to clinch a last-16 berth. Second in Group D before and after this match, the Garden City club cannot catch leaders El Jaish, yet concluding the pool as runners-up was always going to be enough.
In fact, Al Ain had done enough in the first half to book their place in the latter stages, even despite the early concession. Douglas, who would later have a goal correctly chalked off for offside, and Ibrahim Diaky forced decent saves from Eldorbek Suyunov in the Nasaf goal, as Al Ain hunted the win.
It was Asprilla, though, who spurned the greatest chance not long after his leveller, when he failed to convert Omar Abdulrahman’s excellent through ball. With Suyunov rapidly advancing, the Colombian chipped wide.
However, Al Ain ultimately had their own goalkeeper to thank for a share of the spoils. Essa, now the UAE national team’s No 1, produced the contest’s best block on 75 minutes, after Bobur Abdukholikov broke free from Al Ain’s attention and broke through on the visitors’ goal. Fortunately for his teammates, Essa was equal to his effort. To be fair, Nasaf could have led before then, but Azamat Allaniyazov somehow directed a free header off target.
So Al Ain departed having not hit their target, namely confirming their emergence from the group stages, a third successive jaunt at the knockouts, at the first possible opportunity.
It may not have been quite what the doctor ordered, but it would go some way to healing still-delicate wounds from last week’s confidence-draining domestic defeat to Ahli. Al Ain, 2003 Asian champions and as such the UAE’s only continental conquerors, should be too strong for Nasaf at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
With that and the President’s Cup quarter-finals to come, they can salvage something from their season yet.
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