‘It was one of those days when nothing worked for us’: Al Ain lose to lowly Dibba in AGL

Al Ain's Omar Abdulrahman, right, was unable to exert much influence on the match against Dibba. Courtesy Arshad Khan

Al Ain’s hopes of regaining the Arabian Gulf League title received a massive blow after they went down 2-1 to lowly Dibba at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

The visitors rallied from a goal down to claim the points courtesy of an own goal from Al Ain defender Khaled Abdulrahman and a strike from Dibba’s Brazilian forward Bruno Moraes after Caio had put the home side ahead.

The result was a bitter disappointment for Al Ain and gives league leaders Al Jazira, who play Baniyas tonight, the opportunity to put further daylight between them and the rest of the pack.

Al Ain’s performance was a far cry from their impressive 3-0 triumph over Al Nasr in new manager Zoran Mamic’s first game in charge last week.

“It was one of those days when nothing worked for us,” the Croat said. “We were also unlucky as we hit the woodwork three times in the second half and some referee’s decisions also went against us.

“We created several scoring opportunities but couldn’t finish them. This is not unusual in football. All we can do is now work on the areas we need to improve for the next game.”

Nasser Al Shamrani’s jab cannoned off the near post and Lee Myung-joo saw the ball bounce off twice.

The Korean’s first attempt at goal was a sharp shot that crashed against the post and a second from close range while the next ricocheted off the crossbar from the goalkeeper Fahd Mohammed’s outstretched hands. The chances Mamic referred to were Nasser Al Shamrani’s effort which cannoned off the post and Lee Myung-joo, who saw the ball come back off the frame of the goal twice.

The South Korean’s first attempt was a snapshot that crashed against the post while the second ricocheted off the crossbar after Dibba goalkeeper Fahd Mohammed managed to get a hand to his shot.

“We just need to keep working hard and try to win the remaining games,” Mamic said when asked if Al Ain’s title challenge was over.

Al Ain broke the deadlock seven minutes into the second half when Lee slipped a through ball to Caio who slammed the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

Al Ain’s joy was short-lived though as a free kick from Brazilian Wanderley took a slight deflection off substitute Rashed Muhayer’s head and the ball was knocked into the Al Ain net by defender Khalid Abdulrahman.

Another woeful piece of defending resulted in Moraes firing home the winner from inside a crowded six-yard box.

The victory moved Dibba three points clear of the relegation zone, although second-bottom Emirates, who face Hatta today, have a game in hand.

“For us, a team fighting relegation, it was a big, big win, and this result also reflects the work we have been doing,” Dibba manager Paulo Comelli said.

“This type of results are big moments for club’s like us with limited resources. I’m sure the players can gain more confidence from this win and take the momentum forward.”

In Thursday night’s late match, Al Wasl took advantageof Al Ain’s slip up as they moved up to second in the league with a 2-1 win at Sharjah.

Caio Canedo opened the scoring for the visitors after 54 minutes before Sharjah’s Gelmin Rivas struck back 10 minutes later. However the the points were secured when Humaid Abbas found the winner with six minutes remainning.

The defeat leaves Sharjah without a win in eight matches.

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