Cosmin Olaroiu's first official game in charge of Al Jazira ended in a comprehensive defeat as Al Ittihad ran out 4-1 winners in Abu Dhabi to clinch a place in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Steven Bergwijn starred with a brace, with further goals from Houssem Aouar and Marwan Al Sahafi sealing the win for the Saudi Pro League side. Simon Banza netted a late consolation for Jazira.
Jazira made a bright start at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, but were stunned to fall behind to a 12th-minute goal.
The UAE club failed to deal with a Moussa Diaby cross, with the loose ball falling invitingly for Dutchman Bergwijn to smash past goalkeeper Ali Khaseif.
Milson's long-range effort sailed narrowly over the bar on 18 minutes, and he was again off target with another attempt minutes later.
Ittihad went into the break 2-0 up as Bergwijn latched on to a Diaby through ball and dispatched a composed finish into Khaeif's bottom corner.
Ittihad were celebrating again soon after the restart as Jan-Carlo Simic’s glancing header fell perfectly for Aouar, who calmly slotted past Khaseif.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s cutback found an unmarked Al Sahafi in the box on 69 minutes to make it 4-0, before Banza netted Jazira's consolation 10 minutes from time.
“I’m very happy with the victory. We deserved to qualify,” said new Ittihad coach Jens Wissing. “We knew how difficult the match would be in these conditions. We respected our opponents and made sacrifices.
“I’m happy with the whole group because of the sacrifices the players made.”
The German was delighted to see Al Ittihad achieve their first objective of the campaign and felt his players had earned their place among Asia’s leading clubs.
“I told the players that they had won in a wonderful way and deserved to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite. This is where they belong.”
Olaroiu took over at Jazira this summer after being sacked as UAE national team coach back in May.
The Romanian conceded Ittihad were worthy winners and called on his players to learn from the setback.
“The better team won. We expected a difficult match against a strong team with players whose individual quality made the difference,” said Olaroiu.
“The defeat was a cold shower for us, but it will help us understand our current capabilities realistically and become more humble. Al Jazira must not only be a beautiful team. We must be realistic, make sacrifices and give everything we have to win.”
