Al Ain arranged a date with Al Jazira in the President's Cup Final on Saturday, fending off a furious Baniyas fightback for a 3-2 win in extra time at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The sides played through a goalless first half, before Mohammed Abdulrahman broke the deadlock on 66 minutes. He was followed 20 minutes later by Colombian midfielder Danilo Asprilla, seemingly sealing the result.
But Baniyas struck lightning twice in the 89th and 91st minutes, with Algeria’s Ishak Belfodil cutting Al Ain’s lead and UAE national team midfielder Amer Abdulrahman equalising two minutes later.
A fairytale ending was not to be, however, with Lee Myung-joo scoring the winner on 111 minutes. Brazilian Fellipe Bastos played a ball into compatriot Douglas, who directed it to Lee on a clever run clear through for an easy right-footed finish to the inside of Baniyas keeper Mohsen Al Hashemi.
The final we be contested a week from Sunday, May 29, in what is annually one of the most widely-attended events of any kind in the UAE. The time is as yet unannounced.
• Watch: Abu Dhabi Sports TV highlights from the match, below
Al Ain 3-2 (Lee Myung-joo)
Baniyas 2-2 (Amer Abdulrahman)
Baniyas 2-1 (Ishak Belfodil)
النتيجة 2-1#أبوظبي_الرياضية #ملعبك https://t.co/DlaTJfJOUw
Al Ain 2-0 (Danilo Asprilla)
كأس رئيس الدولة - أبوظبي الرياضية https://t.co/MnsNCroAad
Al Ain 1-0 (Mohammed Abdulrahman)
