UAE League players hoping to head to Brazil Dead cert: Gyan is Ghana's top striker and will almost certainly be heading to Brazil. After speaking to Al Nasr midfielder Brett Holman about his World Cup hopes, Sport360° decided to assess the Australian's chances of heading to Brazil, along with some of the other UAE League players dreaming of heading to South America this summer. Asamoah Gyan Club: Al Ain Country: Ghana (76/39) Chances: 9/10 Came out of international retirement to lead Ghana to the finals and has a point to prove in Brazil, given what happened in South Africa four years ago. Emmanuel Clottey Club: Al Dhafra Country: Ghana (9/0) Chances: 3/10 Did not settle in the UAE and was de-registered in January. Continues to train alone, and a lack of football severely damages his hopes. Brett Holman Club: Al Nasr Country: Australia (69 caps/9 goals) Chances: 7/10 Overlooked for the Socceroos most recent friendly but retains support Down Under and his experience could prove invaluable. Alex Brosque Club: Al Ain Country: Australia (21/5) Chances: 5/10 Has been a big hit in the UAE with Al Ain but has not represented his country since June. Did score three goals in qualifying though. Dino Djulbic Club: Al Wahda Country: Australia (2/0) Chances: 2/10 An outsider at best having not played for the Socceroos for nearly a year. A lack of football in Abu Dhabi has not helped. Carlos Munoz Club: Bani Yas Country: Chile (11/3) Chances: 7/10 Called up for Chile’s game against Costa Rica last month having made a good start to life in Abu Dhabi, he obliged with a goal in a 4-0 win. Edson Puch Club: Al Wasl Country: Chile (6/0) Chances: 4/10 Back in Dubai after a spell with Deportes Iquique that saw him recalled for his country. Perhaps his return suggests he doesn’t rate his chances though. Felipe Caicedo Club: Al Jazira Country: Ecuador (46/15) Chances: 9/10 Seven goals in nine games helped Ecuador to the World Cup and barring injury or a severe loss of form, Jazira’s new boy will be there. Kim Jung-Woo Club: Sharjah Country: South Korea (68/6) Chances: 4/10 Played at the 2010 World Cup but after playing four games in qualifying for this tournament, has not featured recently. Shin Hyung-Min Club: Al Jazira Country: South Korea (9/0) Chances: 3/10 Has not featured for his country for a year, but a good run in the AFC Champions League with Jazira could yet boost his hope
UAE clubs look ill-prepared for Asian battle Mohamad Omar & Farhad Majidi from 2003 AFC CL winners Al Ain team Abu Dhabi: With less than 10 days before the group stage of the AFC Champions League kicks off, the three teams set to represent the UAE in the continental competition have not shown signs they will be able to mount a strong competition against the elite Asian teams. Al Ahli, the leaders of the UAE League (AGL) and the most consistent team this season, found themselves in trouble in overcoming Emirates 2-1 — despite the fact that their opponents are struggling to escape relegation. In a group that also features Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, Al Sadd of Qatar and Folad Sepahan of Iran, Al Ahli have to be at their best to win points. The players should realise that they are in a totally different league than the AGL, in which they are on top. Al Ain, the only UAE team to win the continental title before in 2003, have become a source of mystery this season. Despite having the league’s top scorer, Asamoah Gyan, in their ranks, the team has gone many matches without scoring a single goal. The absence of their creative playmaker Omar Abdul Rahman alone does not justify the lack of goals because a team with such depth should not suffer to this extent because of the lack of a single player. Al Ain will compete against Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran and Lekhwiya of Qatar. Al Ain lost their 2004 final to Al Ittihad — a fact that should spur them on to win this time. Al Jazira, meanwhile, have not tasted success in the group stages of the continental competition in the past few years. Squandering a 2-0 lead in their last match to settle for a 2-2 tie against Al Dhafra and losing to lowly Ajman a week earlier must be giving Walter Zenga, their head coach, sleepless nights on the eve of the Asian competition. They are drawn in Group A along with Esteghlal of Iran, Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia and Al Rayyan of Qatar. Bani Yas have started the sad story of the UAE’s local clubs in the continental competition by losing the play off, at home, to Al Qadisiya of Kuwait 4-0.
WELCOME TO THE UAE: JUCILEI Jucilei, welcome to the UAE and the UAE League! How are you settling in so far? Thank you! I feel very good and very happy here. I already feel I’ve adapted completely, and so far it’s even better than what I expected. How did your move to Al Jazira come about? I had a lot of offers from European clubs, including Napoli in Italy, but I chose to come here for my career and from a professional point of view; the move was definitely not about money, it’s about moving on in my career and also the overall lifestyle. Did you have much awareness of Al Jazira or the UAE League before deciding to move here? I knew a bit about the League before but not too much, and now I’ve played four matches here I feel I’m learning more and more and getting more comfortable game by game. From what I’ve seen so far, the League is played at an even better level than what I had anticipated. The four games I’ve played so far were very tough and strong games, so I’m impressed and it is more technically competitive than I thought it would be. As for the club, of course I already knew about Al Jazira and I researched the club more when I first heard they were interested to sign me. Had you visited the UAE before? Yes, I had been to Dubai twice before with my previous club FC Anzhi Makhachkala for two 15- and 20-day training camps, so I was already familiar with the country and what to expect from the UAE. Have you moved here with family? Hopefully my wife and two sons will be coming to join me in the next few days; we’ve just needed a few weeks to get everything sorted but they will be joining me here in Abu Dhabi very soon. Did you have any friends here already before moving over - either players in the League or otherwise? No, I didn’t know anybody before coming here! But everyone at the club has made me feel very welcome so I always knew that I was not alone. Have you gelled with your teammates quickly? Yes, as soon as I arrived I was welcomed by everyone, from the Board to the coaching staff and the players, and everybody has been trying to help me. Of course there is a language barrier because my English is not very strong at all, and my Arabic is non-existent! Arabic seems very difficult so I’m going to start working on improving my English first, but football is a universal language so we are all able to understand each other. You’ve moved from Russia, which is known for its cold climate, to the UAE where it gets considerably hotter… How do you think the temperature will affect your game? Actually the weather here in the UAE right now is absolutely perfect for me, though unfortunately I know that the temperature will start changing and getting hotter and hotter very soon. But I much prefer the hot weather to cold so it’s a positive for me. In Russia sometimes I would have to wear so many layers of clothing and I could barely walk because it was so cold! I would have to put heat spray in my boots in order to play and stop my feet and toes from freezing, so I’m happy to leave that behind… How was your first meeting with your head coach, Walter Zenga? He was very warm and welcoming to me. He told me that I was a player he and the club had really been wanting to bring here, and he said that he as the head coach put a lot of effort into bringing me to Al Jazira, so I appreciated those words and efforts. What are your hopes and what do you wish to achieve here? I’m only 25 so I still have many strong years of my career to come, and I’m looking forward to spending the next 3.5 years of my contract here at Al Jazira and trying to help the club as much as I can during this time.
Jimenez eligible to play for Al Ahli in the AFC commitment Dubai – The AFC has officially registered Al Ahli Palestinian player Luiz Jimenez in the shortlist of Al Ahli FC to take part in the AFC Champions League as Asian player. The registration section at the UAEFA has received on Monday the registration of the player and forwarded the same to the continental football governing body for approval. The AFC has already urged the FA to forward the required documents evidencing that Jimenez has acquired the Palestinian nationality for more than a year to be eligible to take part in the AFC competitions
Olaroiu returns to lead Ahli's Asian adventure Al Ahli will have Cosmin Olaroiu in the dugout and Luis Jimenez on the pitch when they kick off their AFC Champions League campaign at Al Hilal next Wednesday, the club confirmed yesterday. Coach Olaroiu, handed a three month suspended jail term for defaming former club Al Ain on Monday, is cleared to return to the touchline as his six-month domestic ban extends only to games that fall under UAE Football Association jurisdiction.
Allardyce: Home comforts could prevent UAE stars moving to Europe Sam Allardyce believes the comfortable living enjoyed by Emirati footballers could prove a major factor in preventing players from furthering their careers in Europe. UAE football has experienced a sharp rise in recent years, both in terms of the level of domestic football and the fortunes of the national team. Central to the success of the national team is the crop of players who first announced themselves at the London 2012 Olympics. Since the Games, The Whites have clinched the Gulf Cup of Nations, won every game of 2013, and risen to 63rd in the FIFA World Rankings – up 75 places in two years. Despite their remarkable success, no Emirati player is yet to permanently take their talent abroad. Hamdan Al Kamali did spend six months on-loan at Ligue 1 side Lyon, but it ultimately proved unsuccessful and the Al Wahda defender failed to make a first-team appearance. Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrahman is often linked with a move to Europe, most recently to high-flying Premier League club Liverpool, as well as Arsenal, Benfica, and Manchester City, where he experienced a two-week trial in 2012. However, Allardyce feels that it may be tough for Emirati players to leave their own shores due to the lifestyle they are afforded, although the West Ham boss insists it’s only a matter of time before an Arab player makes his way to a major European league. “(The UAE league) has only been professional for a few years, so I think there is a little way to go to get used to being full time professionals,” said Allardce, who is in Dubai with West Ham on a winter training camp. “But I think in a few years there is bound to be a really talented player come (to England). “It’s whether they want to come for the football because they are so well looked after in their own country it would be difficult for them to break away and play in Europe. “But you never know, somebody somewhere down the line from the Arab states will end up in the Premier League.”
- Game of the week Al Wahda vs Al Sharjah 21-2-2014 Head to Head stats since 2000 Al Sharjah used to be the dominate side from the 70's to the early 90's but in recent history Al Wahda became gets the better result when they face each other In season 2002-03 Al Sharjah won their 8th cup final over Al Wahda after penalty kicks shootout and that was Al Sharjah's last trophy, while Al Wahda last achievement was winning the league in 2010 so far this year Al Sharjah is more consistent and have the best defense in the league conceding only 16 goals, which is impressive and unexpected from a team was playing in the lower division the past two seasons
- UAE youth prepares for Egypt from Dubai Dubai/ Tuesday February 18, 2014: The UAE youth national team (U-19) gather in Dubai during the period from February 23 to 28 ahead of their two friendlies against Egyptian counterparts on February 26 and 28 at the Theyab Awana playground at the FA offices. The final shortlist whih was submitted by the national coach Khalifa Mubarak comprised of 26 players and duly approved by the national teams committee. The players are: Abdullah Hassan Al Nubi, Hamad Mohammed Ibrahim Al Balushi (Al Ahli), Mohamed Saeed (Emirates), Jassim esJawhar (Bani Yas), Sultan Abdul Wahab Mir Ahmad, Ahmad Mohammad Hashemi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ahmed Rabie, Ahmad Jamil, Abdul Rahman Jassim (Al-Jazeera), Al Ghanem, Omar Juma Rabie (Sharjah), Rashid Ghanem Al Hajri, Badr Bilal (Al Shaab), Mohamed Abdul Baset, Hatem Abdul Rahman (Ajman), Yusuf Ali Rashid (Al Orouba), Mohammed Said Bo Sindh (Al Ain), Marwan Ali (Al Nasr), Khalid Abdul Rahim Bawazeer, Jamal Ismail, Mansour Abdullah, Ahmed Rashid, Mohammed Hassan Khalifa and Yousef Mohammed Hezam (Al Wahda) and Ali Hassan unharmed (Al Wasl). UAE youth national team has advanced to the finals of the AFC U-19 Cup finals in Myanmar under the guidance of the national coach Khalifa Mubarak. - UAE U-17 national team formation process continues Dubai/ Thursday February 20, 2014: The selection process of the U-17 national team is still ongoing as the juniors return to action on Saturday at the Theyab Awana playground ahead of the AFC U-19 Cup qualifiers 2015. UAE head coach Badr Saleh has shortlisted 31 players to show their skills as follows: Mohammed Hassan Khalifa Rashid and Ahmed Abdullah Ibrahim and Masood Ali and Butti Obaid Salem and Mohammed Rashed Al Hammadi (Al Wahda ) , Ibrahim Naji Ghloom and Saud (Al-Ahly ) , Mohamed Omar Al-Attas ( Al Jazira ) , and Hussein Ghaith and Abdullah Saif Mohammed Ahmed and Muhammad Hariz Ibrahim (Al Nasr ) , Hamdan Nasser and Mohammed Saif and Khalid Mohammed and Abdul Aziz strange ( Ittihad Kalba ) , Khalid Abdulla and Khalifa Khater ( Fujairah ) , Abdullah Al- Salem and Said Nasser ( Al Ain) , Majid Ahmed and Abdul Rahman Ahmed Shukri ( Al Shabab ) , Mohammed Khamis and Mohammed Rashid ( Al Wasl ) , Abdullah Saif ( Al Arabi ) , Hamad Shaker ( Ajman ) , Majed Ibrahim ( Sharjah ) , Hamad Mohammed Habib ( Al Shaab ) , Hamza Mohammed and Mohammed Salem ( Bani Yas ) , Yusuf Ali ( RAK ) .
Is it due to lack of professionalism? Al Bayan Sports Supplement wrote on Thursday February 20, 2014 ‘statement against unknown’ and we would like to explain that no statements are directed against individuals, but they address particular topic and its surrounding circumstances. Thereafter, necessary clarifications would be made to brief the members of the public on the truth away from defamation and abusing. Our duty as a leading body is to give the right reply towards any case which entails clear misleading that does not serve the public interest. Unfortunately, the author whom we believe is a prominent newsman, has used undue expressions exceeded the limits of opinion giving and constructive criticism which is no matching the status of the leading organization for which he works. The Al Bayan supplement declined to publish the media alert of the FA while commenting on the same and harshly criticizing it without allowing the readers to have access to the original text. The logic is to publish the statement alongside the commentary instead of forcing the readers to resort to other sources in order to understand the intentions of the author. It’s our stand that professionalism and honesty require the publishing of the media alert when subjected to criticism or commentary. And at the same time, we have no intentions to enter into diatribes with the author and trace his unacceptable diversion. We are against all kinds of restrictions and never feel upset with substantive criticism. But, we have traced a poor language which we will not allow ourselves to to reproduce because of its low nature. This language is also against the standards of our traditions and customs in the UAE and for this reason, we simply wash our hands therefrom. Finally, we thank the media which has carried the explanatory media alert apart from the stand of the said establishments from its contents. Hopefully, our national sports institutions would deal with a good spirit of national feeling and extreme professionalism without being subjected to the personal moods of individuals on the grounds of baseless arguments. The achievements of the UAEFA received the praise of everybody from within and without the UAE thanks to the strong support of our wise leadership and the backing of the faithful fans.
Zenga believes title is still possible Al Jazira’s players have been told they must concentrate “200 per cent” if they are to get their title challenge back on track with a win against Al Dhafra on Thursday night. The Abu Dhabi side lost ground in the race for the Arabian Gulf League last weekend with a 1-0 defeat at Ajman that left them third, seven points behind pace-setters Al Ahli. Italian coach Walter Zenga does not believe that is an impossible margin to make up with nine games still to play and when asked if he still thought Jazira could win the championship, he replied: “Yes, of course.” The 53-year-old coach pointed to the fact Ahli still have to visit the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, as well as Al Ain and Al Shabab. But is he is well aware that in order to catch the Red Knights, his side must get back to winning ways, starting with the game against Dhafra.
UAE Squad for Uzbekistan Match in the 2015 Asian Cup Qualification - GK: Ali Khusaif (Al Jazira) Khaled Essa (Al Ain) Mohamad Yousif (Sharjah) - DF Hamdan Al Kamali (Al Wahda) Essa Ahmed (Al Wahda) Mohamad Fawzi (BaniYas) Mohamad Ahmed (Al Ain) Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) Mohanad Salem (Al Ain) Abdulaziz Haikel (Al Ahli) Abdulaziz Sanqor (Al Ahli) Waleed Abas (Al Ahli) - MF Khamees Ismail (Al Jazira) Habeeb Fardan (Al Nasr) Majed Hassan (Al Ahli) Ismail Salem (Al Ahli) Mohamad Abdulrahman (Al Ain) Bandar Al Ahbabe (Al Dhafra) Haboush Saleh (BaniYas) Ahmed Khamees (Sharjah) - FW Ahmed Khalil (Al Ahli) Ali Mabkhout (Al Jazira) Mohamad Nasir (Al Wasl) Salem Saleh (Al Wahda) Snubbed: Ismail Matar (Al Wahda) Injured: Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain) Amer Abdulrahman (BaniYas) Rashid Eissa (Al Wasl)
UAE men train at Meydan The UAE men's gather at the Meydan Hotel on Thursday February 27, 2014 evening and workout at the Nad Al Sheba playground before they head for Tashkent via a special flight on March 3.
Champions League campaign could decide Quique's fate Al Ain coach Quique Sanchez Flores is turning his attention to the AFC Champions League, ceding the side’s chances of getting anything meaningful out of their Arabian Gulf League campaign. The Boss suffered their sixth league defeat of the season on Friday night when they went down 1-0 at Al Nasr, leaving them eighth in the table and 18 points behind Al Ahli at the top of the table. That latest setback has prompted the club’s board to call a meeting for today, where it is understood they will likely discuss the Spaniard’s future. With Al Ain’s Asian campaign kicking off with the visit of Qatari side Lekhwiya on Wednesday, Sanchez Flores may well be handed a stay of execution and he is hoping for an improvement from his team. “We are waiting for the AFC Champions League,” Sanchez Flores said. “We have had the opportunity to make a link with the top of the table, but we keep missing the chance. “We have lost a lot of points, this is the sixth game we have lost, maybe we did not deserve to lose all of those games and they have been by tight margins but its hard to change the mentality in times like this. It’s hard to resuscitate this situation. “We played well against Al Nasr but maybe in the league there is too much pressure, they know what it is like to play in the league and maybe now we need to put our energy into the AFC Champions League and be our best in that competition.” Al Ain have a tough group to navigate in Group E of the AFC Champions League, taking on Lekhwiya, Tractor Sazi, and Al Ittihad. Despite opening their 2013 campaign with a stunning win over Al Hilal, the Boss bombed out in the group stages last season, losing all three of their away games. Sanchez Flores said: “Nothing is easy, but I have the feeling that we had the chance to do something.”
Al Nasr crush Al Khor to get GCC Cup off to a flyer Al Nasr got their GCC Club Cup Championship off to an emphatic start with a resounding 4-0 win over Qatari outfit Al Khor, with Brett Holman the star man. The Aussie scored two and set up another in the demolition job with Lima, Habib Fardan and Mahmoud Khamis the others to get on the scoresheet. Al Khor were by no means bystanders but their leaky defence that has them in the relegation zone in their native Qatar was on full display with Al Nasr taking full advantage. The Qatari side now have zero points from two game after losing their first game of the tournament 4-1 to Busaiteen of Bahrain in Group B. The GCC Club Cup Championship is often an afterthought in the UAE football calendar but Al Nasr took to the game with a purpose they have rarely shown recently. Their new found motivation may have been as a result of the wide open spaces afforded to them by their generous guests who weren't able to match their attacking zeal with defensive stability. Al Khor weren't unimpressive. They attacked with vigour mainly through Brazilians Madson and William - the latter of whom was a diminutive flea buzzing almost unnoticed in the channels. Madson twice put free kicks just over the bar while William had a brilliant chance denied when Ali Al Ameri knocked away his effort having rounded the goalkeeper. Al Nasr were more clinical. A Mahmoud Khamis corner was headed on by Habib Fardan before arriving at the feet of Holman who squeezed the ball at the back box after 14 minutes. Just eight minutes later, the lead was doubled when Holman delved deep into the Khor penalty area, pulling the ball back on the byline onto his right foot before smashing past the goalkeeper from close range. William had another chance to bring Al Khor closer to the Blue Wave with the last kick of the first half after running through the Al Nasr midfield and defence before firing over. Al Khor found their feet more in the second half. Al Nasr were never penned into their own half but the Qataris made the home side sweat, particularly when Ibrahim Awal's wayward cross evaded Ahmad Shambieh and clipped the top the crossbar. The visitors' plans for a comeback were finally brought to an end when Khamis swished and swirled a spectacular free kick past Bab Djibril from 35 yards with 20 minutes remaining. Djibril's goalkeeping was certainly up for question but there can be no doubting the quality of the strike and swerve of the ball. The rout was complete when a flowing move finished with Holman pulling the ball back to Lima who struck home a fourth from closer range with 10 minutes left. Habib Fardan notched the fifth with the last kick of the game after Hassan Mohammad's effort cannoned back off the post.
Al Jazira Puts The First 3 Points In Their Asian Credit Abu Dhabi: 25 February 2014 Al Jazira started their first 3 points in the Asian credit after they beat their Qatari guests Al Rayyan with 3 goals two, when they hosted them in Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium at the evening of Tuesday the 25th of February, as part of the first week of the group stage matches of AFC Champions League. Walter Zenga started the match with Ali Khaseif; Khalid Sabil, Musallem Fayez, Jumaa Abdullah, Abdullah Musa; Hyngmin Shin, Jucilei Da Silva, Khamis Ismail; Abdulalziz Barrada, Ali Mabkhout and Felipe Caicedo. The substitutes were: Khalid Al Senani, Salim Masoud, Hassan Amin, Subait Khater, Abdullah Qasem, Sultan Barghash and Ahmed Rabee. It took Al Jazira only two minutes to break the dead lock and go on front, when Abdullah Musa led a quick attack from the left side and breached into the box and pass the ball to Barrada, who escaped his defender and sent it to Felipe Caicedo, who shot it strongly behind the keeper to give Al Jazira their first goal. After only 5 minutes, the same above trio gave Al Jazira their second goal; Musa go front again and sent the ball Caicedo who shot in the keeper body and the ball bounced to find Barrada who struck it inside the goal in the 8th minute. Al Jazira controlled the remaining of the first half and denied their guests from all their attempts to reach Ali Khaseif goal, and after 4 extra minutes, the referee ended this half with Al Jazira in front with two goals. In the start of the the second half Al Jazira squander two good chances to go three clear as Barrada’s shot was saved in a one-on-one with Al Rayyan’s goalkeeper, and Ali Mabkhout’s teasing cross went to waste. Al Rayyan began to claw their way back into the contest as Lucho Gonzalez reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the 59th minute, but it was young Al Jazira star Ahmad Al Ghilani who put the result beyond doubt in the 73rd minute as he scored to make it 3-1 from a corner. The hosts endured a nervy close to the game as Al Rayyan again found the net in the 90th minute to make it 3-2 through Kalu Uche, but Al Jazira held on to take all three points. With this victory, Al Jazira put the first 3 points in their Asian credit, and took the group leadership with Al Shabab, who won their match against Iranian Esteghlal with only one goal.
AL SHOALA 1-1 AL SHABAB: GRITTY DRAW IN KSA Al Shabab netted a late equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw in their first GCC Club Cup Championship match of the season, away at Al Shoala in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night. After a goalless first half, a 53rd-minute goalkeeping error from Ismaeil Rabee allowed a looping header from Rashed Al Dwesan in at the far post to give the hosts Al Shoala a 1-0 lead. But Al Shabab showed grit and determination to fight back with an equaliser as late as the second minute of injury time, with Abdulla Faraj’s cross being turned into the net by Al Shoala’s Mohammad Mustafa under pressure from Al Shabab striker Adeilson to make it 1-1.
Al Shamrani saves Al Hilal a point AL HILAL 2 AL AHLI 2 Al Ahli - Jimenez 53’, Grafite 58’ Al Hilal - Al Shamrani 60’, 74’ Man of the match - Nasser Al Shamrani (Al Hilal) Al Ahli kicked off the AFC Champions League group stages with an encouraging 2-2 draw with Al Hilal in Riyadh but it could have been so much more. The Arabian Gulf League leaders carried their excellent domestic form into the match and in front of a partisan crowd of 38,000 at King Fahd Stadium they almost pulled off a famous victory. The home team started brighter but it was the visitors who came the closest to breaking the deadlock. Brazilian forward Ciel’s left foot shot took a slight deflection, taking it beyond the far post with Al Hilal goalkeeper Fayz Al Sabiay beaten. With five minutes of the first half left, Al Hilal missed a glorious chance when Nasser Al Shamrani fired over from inside the six-yard box. Inspired by the Brazilian Digao, Al Hilal started the second half on the front foot, but it was Al Ahli that took the lead on 53 minutes, Luis Jimenez latching onto Ciel’s excellent flicked pass to score with a superb volley. Five minutes later, Al Ahli looked to have wrapped up the match, another stunning breakaway move ending with a Jimenez cross for Grafite to sidefoot into the roof of the net. On the hour Al Hilal were thrown a lifeline when Al Shamrani made up for his first-half miss with a firm header from a corner. The goal lifted the crowd and with 15 minutes left Al Shamrani squared the match with another close range finish from Digao’s header. Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu threw on Ahmed Khalil for the remainder of the match, but it was Al Hilal who almost snatched the win, Yousef Al Salem hitting the post five minutes from the end. Earlier in the day, Qatar’s Al Sadd had beaten Sepahan of Iran 3-1 in Doha to go to the top of the group, while the draw leaves Al Hilal And Al Ahli in joint second place.
Finally a home result that is sweet for Al Ain AL AIN 2 LEKHWIYA 1 Al Ain - Diaky 13’, Gyan 66’ Lekhwiya - Weiss 40’ Man of the match - Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain) From the outset there was a buzz at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium over the future of the Al Ain coach Quique Sanchez Flores. He was asked to clarify after leading his team to a 2-1 result over Lekhwiya in the Asian Champions League opener and their first win in three games at the new stadium. Sanchez Flores revealed his future at the club was not in his own hands. “I worked at Al Ahli for 20 months to win the President’s Cup [and the League Cup] have worked only five months and have taken Al Ain to the final of the same competition,” the Spaniard said. “I can’t do magic. I am a normal coach and I can only work over a period of time to produce results. It is up to the club to make that decision, but until such time I will continue with my work as before.” Ibrahim Diaky, who scored the opening goal, came in support of his coach when he said: “We know we are going through a difficult period and the coach told us to just go out there and do our best. “He didn’t put any pressure on the players and that’s what we went out there and achieved.” Diaky opened the scoring and Asamoah Gyan regained the lead after Vladimir Weiss had struck the equalizer shortly before the break. “It was a good game to win against a team like Lekhwiya because they are a very good team both technically and physically, and they are leading the Qatari league at the moment,” Sanchez Flores said. “I am very happy with my players as they played collectively as a team. They defended well, attacked well and used the counter attack well. I told them before the game all teams are starting from zero so to go out there and play true to their potential and that’s what they did.” According to Sanchez Flores the players were better motivated for the ACL than the Arabian Gulf League, which they have no chance to win. “This is how the human brain works,” the coach said. “The ACL is a new competition and it is easy to get the players motivated than in a competition where the chances are pretty low. The preparation for this game was like for the President’s Cup. The players know they have a chance to win a trophy. It doesn’t surprise me because these players have quality to face any team.” Diaky’s early goal was on target from a rebound. Mirel Radoi’s effort crashed against the near post and Alex Brosque couldn’t control the rebound that came back like a tracer-bullet on his follow-through, but it took the pace off and sent it into the robust Al Ain midfielder’s path. Yassine El Ghanassy had begun the move from his own half for Gyan to set up Radoi’s 25-yard shot. Youssef Msakni split the Al Ain defense with a superb through pass for Weiss to score with a looping left footer after good first-time control to get past Mohanad Salem, the Al Ain centre back. Gyan regained the lead with a rocket that hit the inside of the bar and slammed into the back of the net, thanks to a through pass from Ahmed Barman. “We didn’t play as well in the second half, as well as we did in the first half, as we lost the freshness,” said Eric Gerets, the Lekhwiya coach. “At the end we are disappointed because we wanted to return with at least one point. We had some chances to score in the first half and we went in to the second half with the same feeling but for some strange reason we couldn’t break through.”
02/03/2014 DUBAI 2-1 BANI YAS: SKY BLUES FAIL TO QUALIFY Dubai registered a long overdue victory – albeit in the UAE League Cup and not in the Arabian Gulf League – with a 2-1 win over Bani Yas. Goals from Ahmed Yousuf and Mohamed Ibrahim in Al Awir meant Bani Yas failed to progress to the semi-finals from Group A. AL JAZIRA 1-0 AL WAHDA: ZENGA’S SIDE REACH SEMIS Al Jazira booked their place in the semi-finals of the UAE League Cup with a 1-0 win over neighbours Al Wahda, qualifying in 2nd place in Group A with 12 points. Before kick-off Al Jazira knew that they had to win and hope that Bani Yas didn’t in order to progress in the competition, and with the Sky Blues losing away at Dubai, The Pride of Abu Dhabi’s spot in the semis was confirmed. SHARJAH 1-0 AL SHAAB: KINGS QUALIFY IN TOP SPOT Sharjah further cemented their place at the top of Group A with a 1-0 win over local rivals Al Shaab in the last group round of the UAE League Cup. With Sharjah already qualified and Al Shaab without a hope of progressing in the competition, the result served mainly as a matter of pride in the traditional Sharjah derby as Salim Khalfan Saif scored the only goal of the game in the 69th minute. The winning goal came against ten men, with Al Shaab suffering a sending off in the 54th minute as Mohammed Ahmed picked up his second booking in quick succession to be dismissed. Sharjah finish the qualification process top of Group A with 16 points, and Al Jazira join them in progressing from the group to the semi-finals. Group B’s qualifiers have already been decided as Al Dhafra and Al Ahli, with both teams in action tomorrow to determine who will finish first or second.
03/03/2014 Tonight’s matches offer little in terms of meaning, there are still two traditional Dubai derbies to be served up as Al Wasl host Al Nasr at Zabeel Stadium, and Al Shabab make the short trip up the road to Al Ahli's Rashid Stadium. Al Wasl, Al Nasr and Al Shabab are unable to qualify from their groups and Al Ahli have already confirmed a spot in the semi-finals, but local pride will be at stake in these two fixtures as squad players look to seize their First Team chance in the absence of a number of UAE internationals. Also at 7:05pm, already-qualified Al Dhafra will travel to Emirates in Ras Al Khaimah knowing that an away win will secure 1st place in Group B over Al Ahli.