Douglas hit a hat-trick to provide a timely reminder of his ability.
The Al Ain striker had muddled through the early stages of this season, seemingly low on confidence and high on anxiety, again courting the criticism, again fuelling the fire of those who long ago deemed him simply not talented enough to lead the club's attack.
So three goals in the Arabian Gulf League against Emirates club on Thursday helped silence the doubters, however briefly.
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It lifted Douglas’ tally at Al Ain to 22 goals in 28 matches, and prompted a release on the club’s website in which the first-team’s administrator reminded supporters of the player’s qualities.
Douglas had shown that he does possess the talent, it said. Even when not scoring he still offers much, be it in creating space or chances for colleagues.
Yet Douglas needs to offer more. For some time, the Brazilian has looked a lost soul up front, a perplexing case, incapable of firing Al Ain’s twin assault for domestic and continental honours.
In last month’s Asian Champions League quarter-final first leg against Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv Tashkent at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Douglas was clearly out of sorts and out of form.
Unable to influence the match, unable to offer a viable threat as Al Ain failed to break down their rivals, his performance was blighted by poor touch and technique. Once more, the home fans vented. In the return leg, once more Douglas disappointed.
It is why he has never truly felt an Al Ain player. It is harsh, given his more than respectable record, especially since he joined the club only in January, parachuted into a side still reeling from the loss of Asamoah Gyan.
Douglas was the second successor to the prolific Ghanaian, the apparent antidote to Emmanuel Emenike, who struggled and stumbled through six months in the Garden City.
Perhaps it is the void left behind by Gyan, the folly of attempting to replace the supposedly irreplaceable.
Perhaps it is Al Ain’s expectant fan base, known as the most demanding in the country. Perhaps it is merely that Douglas does have the requisite skill set, he just requires a little more patience, a little more encouragement.
Perhaps a starring role in the Champions League latter stages would galvanise him.
It could suggest he can be the spearhead of the post-Gyan era. It could finally endear him to supporters. By that stage already beloved, Gyan top-scored in the Champions League in 2014, when Al Ain last reached the semi-finals.
Two years on, Douglas has the opportunity to catapult the club even farther. Even after last week’s goal glut, he goes into Tuesday night’s first leg of the last-four clash with El Jaish with questions surrounding his suitability for the grand stage, against the team where they first began to surface.
In February, in the Group D opener between Al Ain and El Jaish – Douglas’ debut in the competition – he missed a penalty and then a golden chance late on as Al Ain lost 2-1.
He had earlier scored from the spot, but the damage was done at the death, once Douglas lifted a close-range effort high over the El Jaish crossbar. With the criticism on social media rampant, he promptly shut down his Instagram account.
So El Jaish revisited provides the perfect point for Douglas to jolt his Al Ain career. The Champions League matters most to the club, is the title they crave above all others. The UAE’s only continental champions, way back in 2003, they have not returned to the final since the defeat to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad 11 years ago.
Al Ain stand on the verge of another showpiece showing. Douglas, meanwhile, stands at a crossroads.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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