Embattled Al Shabab boss Caio Junior hopes the shock win at Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ain signals a fresh start.
Junior, 50, had come under tremendous pressure after a run of six defeats in seven matches had seen the club sink down the standings and be eliminated from the Arabian Gulf Cup and AFC Champions League.
This awful spell ended in style on Thursday as a 92nd-minute goal from Dawood Ali secured a 2-1 triumph at the then leaders.
“After harvesting three points at Al Ain, we can change our chances in the future,” Junior said. “Al Ain dominated play but we followed a particular strategy. I was very confident until the last minute of the match the team would win.”
The result was made all-the-more surprising by the contrast in form.
The Boss had won their last 17 home matches in the top flight, with boss Zlatko Dalic hoping his troops recover in time for Wednesday’s opening Group D assignment in the ACL at home to Qatar’s El Jaish.
He said: “This is the first defeat suffered by Al Ain at home in the league for two years, but the timing is very bad. We have lost three points and lost one of our most important players (Colombian winger Danilo Asprilla).
“We have several days during which we must focus on the next confrontation in the AFC Champions League. We will work to correct our mistakes as required.”
Elsewhere on Thursday, Al Jazira’s renaissance continued as they made it four wins on the spin with a 3-2 victroy against Bani Yas.
It was another poor night for third-placed Al Nasr as they drew 1-1 with Dibba Al Fujairah. Al Wasl are now level with them on 33 points after they won 3-2 at Fujairah, who are now in the drop zone.
