Al Wahda did their bit to help mend the broken hearts of UAE football fans with a thrilling comeback win over an Al Sadd side managed by Roberto Mancini.
Dusan Tadic scored twice and Caio Canedo added the clincher as the Abu Dhabi side won 3-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite at Al Nahyan Stadium on Tuesday night.
As the time ticked over to 90 minutes against their visitors from Doha, the home fans unfurled a huge UAE flag and sung the national anthem.
It capped a successful two nights for UAE clubs in the competition. On Monday, Shabab Al Ahli had beaten another Qatari side, Al Gharafa, while Sharjah claimed a remarkable win away at defending champions Al Ahli Saudi.
All three teams are well placed to advance to the knockout stage of the continent’s leading club competition, to help raise the spirits of UAE football.
Wahda provided the backbone of the national team who had seen their hope of playing at next year’s World Cup ended in dramatic fashion last week.
In fact, they fell behind in the first half in similar fashion to the goal which had cost the UAE defeat in Basra last week.
While Iraq had won the decisive penalty when the ball hit the arm of an unwitting Yahia Nader back then, this time similar happened to Ala Zhir, the Wahda and UAE defender.
Claudinho scored the penalty which gave Sadd a half-time lead, but, unlike the national team a week earlier, Wahda had time to make amends.
They did so via two goals for the outstanding Tadic. And it felt fitting that Canedo was able to add the gloss at the end.
The UAE forward spent his formative years in the United States, and will have been hoping to have a career swansong there at the World Cup next summer.
While that was not to be, he could at least taste success on a continental scale. His Wahda side are now unbeaten in 29 matches, stretching back to January, and are targeting trophies in all competitions.
“We have the mentality that allows us to compete in every game and doesn’t give us the possibility to choose which competition we put in more efforts,” Jose Morais, the Wahda coach, said.
Morais played down the idea that his players had extra motivation against Sadd because they are from Qatar, and had Akram Afif as their captain.
Afif had played a key but controversial role as Qatar had shut one avenue to the World Cup for the UAE at the Asian qualifying play-off in Doha last month.
The forward set up both goals as Qatar beat the national team 2-1 at Al Sadd’s home ground, which sent his side directly to the World Cup, and pitched UAE into a repechage play-off against Iraq.
His antics on the field, as well as while celebrating after the game, angered UAE fans. Afif was jeered and heckled whenever he was on the ball against Wahda.
While he has the ultimate consolation of a trip to North America next summer to look forward to, at club level his Sadd side are facing problems.
The two-time champions of Asia are off the pace in the Qatar Stars League. They are also struggling to make the knockout phase of the Champions League, with just two points from their five matches so far.
The malaise has led to them recruiting Mancini, the former Manchester City, Italy and Saudi Arabia manager, on a big-money deal.
The Italian said he was encouraged by his new side’s first-half display in Abu Dhabi, but that they need to work hard to turn around their fortunes.
“We need to improve, and we have another chance because we have three games in the next month,” Mancini said.
“We knew that this game was difficult, but after we started the game, I knew that we could win because we had three or four chances in the first half. We played very, very well.
“This should be our mentality from now on. Now we have the time [to make the changes to improve].”
