Vladimir Ivic warned the most difficult bit is yet to come as Al Ain closed in on regaining the UAE Pro League title.
Houssine Rahimi’s brilliant late solo strike gave the league leaders a 3-2 win in a sensational game against Shabab Al Ahli, the holders, on Friday night.
It meant Al Ain opened up a four-point cushion at the top of the table with four matches to play in a thrilling title race.
The fixture at a pulsating Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium was one of the finest adverts for UAE football in the history of the professional game in this country.
Given the stakes – one point separated the top two ahead of the game – the atmosphere was crackling long before kick off. All tickets were sold, and many of the home faithful were in their seats hours before the start.
The away end was packed with far more supporters than regularly even watch home games at Shabab Al Ahli’s Rashid Stadium.
As the players emerged from the tunnel, the two sets of supporters each unfurled massive UAE flags, and the national anthem was even sung – which is not customary before regular season league matches.
Sardar Azmoun, the Iran striker and attacking talisman for the away side, observed the anthem impeccably and applauded the supporters straight after it.
The two sets of fans then took turns to show off their tifos. The away end’s said their side were “Locked in”, before a huge image was hoisted at the other end by Al Ain’s fans saying “We pull the strings”.
The game matched the atmosphere. It was captivating from start to finish. Al Ain held the lead at half-time after Ramy Rabia, their Egyptian centre half, turned in the opener at a corner.
Yuri Cesar levelled straight after the restart from Guilherme Bala’s break. Shabab Al Ahli’s two Brazil-born wingers were relentlessly threatening.
Fodjo Laba restored the home side’s lead 10 minutes later as he smuggled the ball in from close range at a corner.
The visitors brought the scores back level when Cesar saw his free-kick creep past Khalid Essa via a huge deflection off Kaku.
Essa saved his side twice in a minute, turning away another deflected Cesar free-kick then somehow holding on to a powerful volley from Bala from the ensuing corner.
Al Ain thought they had the lead again in the closing minutes but it was chalked off for offside. Houssein Rahimi sealed it for them with time ticking away with a winning goal worthy of the occasion.
“To get the trophy is the most difficult thing in football and we still don’t have it,” Ivic said in the emotional aftermath. “But we are on the right track.”
Ivic’s role in turning around the fortunes of the country’s most successful club was celebrated by Al Ain’s fans. They had been champions of Asia two years ago but slumped so badly last season they churned through a succession of managers.
After victory was sealed, they unfurled a massive banner across two tiers of the main stand with the manager’s image, accompanied by the words: “Vladimir dominance.”
The Serbian coach was grateful to the fans but pointed out the reason for success has been the players.
“For them, I will just say that the players are most important in a team; without them, you cannot do anything,” Ivic said.
“I'm very, very thankful for my players. I told them a lot of times, the trophies, coach of the month and everything, it belongs to them and the coaching staff. It's not just me.
“[The fans] support us, they are with us and thank you so much for what they created today, before the game and during the game, and of course after the game.
“It's something that gives us huge motivation to be focused and work more.”
Even though tempers threatened to boil over, with a melee in front of the Al Ain dugout near the end, the visitors took defeat with magnanimity.
“They [Al Ain] managed to win both games against us, and they have won a lot of games this season,” Bogdan Planic, the Shabab Al Ahli defender, said.
“At this moment, they are deserving to be first place. [But] we will fight until the end. We will try to fill the gap, to win the championship again, and we'll see.”
Paulo Sousa, Shabab Al Ahli’s manager, said the atmosphere was the best he has experienced in his nearly two-year term in the country. Having played in front of the yellow wall at Borussia Dortmund in his playing days, he knows more than a bit about fandom.
The Portuguese coach also reflected that there had been three outstanding teams on show: his boys, the victorious hosts, and the match officials.
Officiating has been a contentious issue in the Pro League this season, with most of the top games, especially those involving Al Ain, needing overseas officials to be brought in. Sergio Escobar, the referee for this summit meeting, was flown in from Guatemala.
Sousa now has to try to raise his players as they depart for Jeddah for the business end of the AFC Champions League Elite campaign.
He said he is proud of the way they have fought to defend their league crown.
“I’m really glad with the way we fight, and the way we play,” Sousa said. “Unfortunately, I'm not happy for the result. We deserve much more than what we got, but it's football.”
