A youthful Al Ain side were too hot to handle for Al Wahda, the Pro League champions, as they won 2-0 in last night's opening round of games in the Etisalat Emirates Cup.
Wahda versus Al Ain is usually the kind of match-up that would demand top billing on a weekend of sport in the UAE. But, with the national team playing Chile last night and the Under 19s and U23s both in action over the last few days, it left both sides without many of their key players.
Al Ain were able to call on the services of Jose Sand, the Argentine striker, who returned from a one-match ban to put them ahead in the 53rd minute with his sixth goal of the season. Bandar Mohammed doubled the lead in added time to seal a 2-0 win in the Group A opener at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. This season the Etisalat Cup has undergone a makeover. Instead of three groups of four, there are now two groups of six Pro League teams. Clubs will play each other home and away, with the top two teams progressing to the semi-finals.
The other surprise result of the night was Kalba's 1-1 draw at home to Al Ahli. It is the second time the promoted club from near Fujairah have held their Dubai rivals to a stalemate after a 2-2 result in the Pro League. Pinga, the Brazilian midfielder, opened the scoring for the visitors in the 19th minute before Abdulla Baba Fatadi equalised in the 36th minute. Baniyas beat Al Nasr 2-1 away in the night's final game.
* Compiled by Amith Passela
