The game of their lifetimes, or the grandest occasion in the history of UAE football.
For one, cherished, night only, Al Jazira took to the field at a fevered Zayed Sports City as direct competitors to Real Madrid. Such are the wonderful vagaries of the Club World Cup.
Undaunted, they even led for 53 incredible, intoxicating minutes of an engrossing semi-final full of surprises. Brazilian forward Romarinho – a 2012 winner with Corinthians – wrote his name into the annals with an adept finish into the bottom corner just before the break, while a combination of UAE No1 Ali Khaseif’s career-best performance and the momentum-sapping VAR repeatedly denied the visiting European royalty.
Al Jazira’s keeper Ali Khaseif—instant legend. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/luiSgbxFKi
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 13, 2017
Never before has the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ nickname been so apt. It still fit when the second-half onslaught brought the partisan Madrid crowd the – later than expected – goals they desired through Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale with a telling first touch off the substitute’s bench with 10 minutes left.
FIFA’s Club of the Century, 12-time UEFA Champions League winners and a beloved side mobbed since landing on Sunday in the Emirates. They of Puskas, Di Stefano, a legendary quintet of European Cups, La Quinta del Buitre, Los Galacticos and the incomparable Cristiano Ronaldo.
Losing to opponents who celebrated just their second Arabian Gulf League triumph last May, fuelled by the goals of 2015 Asian Cup top scorer Ali Mabkhout – a name known by few outside the Middle East.
That’s not something which gets written every day, but this was not a usual occurrence – far from it.
It wasn’t too last. But this was about more than simple valour in defeat.
Coach Henk ten Cate joked about needing “three buses” before the match. Yet he did not instruct his charges simply to defend.
Madrid have hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed against Al Jazira. This is far far more exciting than I expected.
— Richard Martin (@Rich9908) December 13, 2017
We are talking about a depleted side hardly expected to see off the amateurs of Auckland City in the play-offs, never mind AFC Champions League holders Urawa Red Diamonds as well in the next stage.
This tournament – back in the UAE for the first time since 2009 and 2010, when the host entrants failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals – has developed the habit of throwing incongruous rivals together. Last year, Madrid needed extra-time in the final to see off J1 League holders Kashima Antlers.
A tradition that continued in the guise of AM7 v CR7, the doe-eyed Mohammed Al Attas against the visitors’ fearsome left flank or the redoubtable Khaseif against everything thrown his way as he vied for the man-of-the-match honours within a hectic first 10 minutes of this unlikely clash.
But the only similarity, pre-match, between the competitors appeared to be shared struggles in their domestic title defences.
A hostile crowd of 36,650 was a world away from the pitiful attendances witnessed in many AGL matches. It was certainly more ‘Hala Madrid’ than ‘Yalla Jazira’ in the capital.
Khaseif and the woodwork, somehow, kept out a series of threatening Ronaldo headers and fierce skimmers from Modric.
The Video Assistant Referee also stole in when headers from the unfortunate Karim Benzema and Brazil holding midfielder Casemiro – which deflected off left-back Salem Rashid – were ruled out, belatedly.
Remarkably, a breakthrough finally came at the end no-one expected. Casemiro was lackadaisical in possession, Morocco’s Mbark Boussoufa taking advantage to tee up Romarinho. He stepped inside France’s Raphael Varane and found the corner for a historic sixth goal in 16 games since his summer arrival from Qatar’s El Jaish.
VAR was at it again moments after kick-off in the second half, denying an offside Boussoufa his doubling of the lead as Mabkhout dawdled in letting him slot into an open goal.
1 - Gareth Bale has scored with his first shot and his first touch of the game against Al Jazira. Impact. pic.twitter.com/8LvLjLBVZ9
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 13, 2017
Madrid smelled blood and Ronaldo smashed past replacement goalkeeper Khaled Al Senaani.
Benzema then, twice, came off second best in a duel with the post. Replacement Bale would not be so generous, sidefooting home to deafening cheers.
Brazil’s Gremio now awaits the victors in Saturday’s decider. For Jazira in defeat, they have gained something invaluable – the respect of the world.
