Al Ain 3-0 Bunyodkor
Al Ain: Al Shamrani 34', Abdulrahman 77', Diaky 90'
Man of the match: Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain)
AL AIN // With qualification already assured, Al Ain are through to the last 16 of the Asian Champions League as Group C’s top team, their knockout star confirming on Monday night their pedigree for the knockout stages.
Once again, Omar Abdulrahman proved decisive to drive his side to victory, the Al Ain captain creating two and notching the other in what ended up a routine 3-0 win against Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Abdulrahman, Asian football’s reigning player of the year no less, now has five goals and five assists in this year’s competition. Last year’s runners-up are pretty lucky to have him.
“Coach pays for good kharouf,” said Zoran Mamic, the Al Ain manager interjecting when Abdulrahman was asked post-match how to explain his increased input. It elicited a hearty laugh from Al Ain’s No 10 sat alongside him.
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As it turns out, Mamic can take some of the credit at least. The Croat, whose tenure at Al Ain began just as their 2017 Champions League did too, made a deal with Abdulrahman before the clash against Zobahan on Matchday 5 that, should the playmaker score, Mamic would take the team out for a traditional Arabic meal.
As the continent’s finest footballer usually would, Abdulrahman obliged by getting the second goal in another 3-0 triumph. Keep this up, and Mamic may regret ever suggesting such an arrangement.
“Now I am losing too much money,” he added with a smile.
Truth be told, Mamic had much to beam about. Al Ain were always comfortable against Bunyodkor, who came into the match on the back of a poor domestic run, which resulted in manager Sergey Lushan being dismissed last week.
Unfortunately for them, Al Ain were in no mood to go easy. That was despite Mamic including youngsters Salem Juma, Saeed Juma and Mohammed Khalfan in his starting line-up, with the emerging trio acquitting themselves well throughout.
Yet it was an old head who put Al Ain in front. On 34 minutes, 33-year-old Nasser Al Shamrani latched onto Abdulrahman’s curled through-ball, twisted and turned his marker and then fired the ball into the back of the Bunyodkor net. If the pass was sublime, the finish was slightly less so, with Al Shamrani cannoning his shot off Murotjon Zukhurov in the visitors’ goal before it nestled behind him.
Al Ain made it 2-0 13 minutes from time; or more specifically, Abdulrahman did. Then, the UAE international curled a sumptuous free kick high into the Bunyodkor goal, leaving Zukhurov rooted to the spot. Abdulrahman took off towards Mamic to celebrate, another meal for him and his teammates secure.
There was just about time to clock up another assist. As the time ticked past 90 minutes, Abdulrahman’s cross found its way to Ibrahim Diaky, leaving the substitute with a simple finish. Which was rather apt, since that was just how it all seemed for Abdulrahman at times: a little too easy.
“It might be that this year I have lots of chances with set-pieces and in these moments I can take the chances,” he said afterwards. “But I cannot do it without the help of my teammates.”
Or, it transpires, his manager finding new ways to challenge him. More importantly, the challenge now could be Al Ahli, Al Ain’s fierce domestic rivals who discover on Tuesday if they get past Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv or do only enough to set up a last-16 encounter with Al Ain later this month. Whatever happens, Mamic appeared rather nonplussed.
“I’m very happy because all players did their job, especially for the young players who performed very well,” he said. “We have to take a good rest now, wait for tomorrow’s match and wait to see which side we welcome here in the next round.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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