A rare smile and then he was gone. After 120 gruelling minutes and a nerve-shredding penalty shootout, Al Nasr coach Ivan Jovanovic was straight down the tunnel with a President’s Cup final berth in his possession.
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The intense Serbian coach rested on the dugout or turned his back to the action during the deciding action. But when Hassan Ibrahim saw Al Shabab’s second effort from 12 yards saved by grateful hero of the hour Ahmed Shambieh, he gestured to the grateful Al Maktoum Stadium crowd with glee etched across his face before his prompt disappearance.
Jovanovic has brought glory back to a sleeping giant in his own low key way, leaving the exuberant celebrations to the stands and his players on the pitch. A third trophy beckons after 12 years went without before his arrival, Dubai rivals Al Ahli standing in his way at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.
We would like to congratulate @ALNasrSC on beating Al-Shabab to reach the President’s Cup Final. #كأس_رئيس_الدولة pic.twitter.com/P8CyE1qIoq
— Ahdaaf (@ahdaafme) May 30, 2015
“What I can express now is the feeling of how proud I am for my players and all of Al Nasr club,” the 52-year-old said. “We worked very hard throughout the year to be in the last game of the season, in the final of the President’s Cup – and we achieved it.
“The final is one game. There is no time, but that doesn’t make any difference, we all want to be in the final.”
With the mercury pushed beyond 35C, this was a taxing test for both sets of players to pass in a 2014/15 season featuring late runs in all competitions entered. Brett Holman – in possibly his last home match with a two-year contract set to expire imminently – and Shabab substitute Naser Masood made it 1-1 in normal time, a 4-2 triumph then following.
The Hawks had required penalties to triumph in Wednesday’s GCC Club Cup final, travelling back from playing Oman’s Al Seeb with a first trophy in four years. A shootout had also seen them past Bani Yas in the President’s Cup quarter-finals, yet this track record was no crutch.
They can now reflect on a fantastic campaign, third place attained in the top flight to set course for AFC Champions League qualification.
“I hope next season to try more, but we are champions of the GCC Gulf Cup, third in the league and reached two semi-finals,” Shabab boss Caio Junior said. “I think the season was very, very important in the history of the club.”
The visitors sat deep and compact, urging Nasr forward. An attritional opening period of very few chances followed.
Al Ahli beat Al Dhafra 2-0, Al Nasr win 4-2 on PKs after drawing 1-1 with Al Shabab. An all-Dubai President’s Cup final – in Al Ain? #UAE
— Paul Freelend (@PaulFreelend) May 30, 2015
Searching passing from Pablo Hernandez, Holman and Ibrahima Toure left Shabab chasing shadows immediately after the interval, defensive midfielder Azizbek Haydarov losing track of Holman to convert low past Salem Abdulla following a decisive one-two with Toure.
Party poppers and confetti rained down from the joyous Al Maktoum stands, another shot at silverware to add to January’s Arabian Gulf Cup becoming real.
Their joy was to be short lived though, ending in unfortunate circumstances, substitute midfielder Masood profiting from two deflections on 72 minutes to level.
The Blue Wave again started the brighter in extra time, match winner from the previous round against Al Ain and AGL second top scorer Toure curling narrowly wide from Hernandez’s low centre. Alarm came when Shambieh rushed out for a deep cross, striker Edgar Bruno heading just wide for Shabab when he should have scored.
With the clock ticking, Hernandez then came within inches of a late winner – rattling the crossbar from 30 yards with a thunderous effort.
But only penalties could separate them, Nasr converting all four efforts where Edgar and Ibrahim faltered.
