Al Jazira recovered from a disappointing first-half to secure a 1-0 win over neighbours Al Wahda and seal their passage to the League Cup last four.
January recruit Ismail Al Jasmi got the decisive goal as he poked home from a corner with 21 minutes of a drab game remaining.
With each side shorn of a host of stars due to international call-ups, and with both taking the opportunity to try out young talent, it was no surprise that the game didn’t have the intensity of normal Abu Dhabi derbies.
However, Jazira coach Walter Zenga will not care about that with Bani Yas’ 2-1 defeat at Dubai ensuring it was his side and not Al Samawi who qualified for the semi-finals behind Group A winners Sharjah.
It didn’t always look as though Jazira would get the required result though as despite needing to win to have any chance of making the semi-finals, it was their visitors who took the initiative in a stale first half.
Wahda’s January recruit Adil Hermach was a central figure, marshalling his side’s midfield while looking to break forward at the right moment.
The French-born Morocco international fired a warning shot on the home goal in the 12th minute before his delivery from a free-kick wide on the left found Mohamed Saif unmarked at the far post. Saif rose well to get his head to the ball but was unable to keep his effort on target.
And as the half wore on it became apparent that it was Wahda’s players, long out of contention in the League Cup, and not those from Jazira who had heeded the pre-match warnings to treat the game like any other derby.
The paltry attendance didn’t help with that of course, but in a disappointing first-half the biggest cheer from the home fans was reserved for a succession of step-overs from Jazira’s samba star, Jucilei, in the right-back area.
The Brazilian did provide the game with a moment of thrust shortly before the break, but after the midfielder took a tumble on the edge of the area young striker Ahmed Al Attas dragged a shot wide from 20 yards.
The hosts emerged for the second half with a more positive attitude and Wahda were grateful for a timely intervention from centre-back Ahmed Rashid as captain for the night Sultan Bargash released Al Attas in the area.
Al Attas, then set fellow teenager Ahmed Rabia free in the penalty box but the UAE youth international sliced his first-time effort wide of the near post. Jazira were now in ascendancy and would take the lead with a little over 20 minutes remaining, although amid slightly controversial circumstances.
Wahda will not be happy that referee Ahmad Salem Khalfan allowed play to go on after Bargash had caught Hermach with a late tackle. Even less so given he whistled for a foul on Rabia seconds later.
Bargash saw his free-kick tipped onto the bar by Wahda goalkeeper Fahad Dhanani but from the resulting corner, Al Jasmi took advantage of some indecision from both sides to hammer home.
Within seconds of the restart Rabia flashed a diving header just wide of the post, but after Mohamed Al Shehhi grazed the outside of the post for the visitors, Jazira were able to see out the result and book their place in the last four.
