Al Ain were made to sweat a little more than they would have liked but secured a 1-1 draw against Al Ittihad that sends them through to the AFC Champions League Round of 16 as Group C winners.
The Boss made an electric start in the Garden City and took the lead in the 22nd minute as Mansour Sharahili headed into his own net.
Ittihad equalised as Abdulrahman Al Ghamdy tucked home a dubious penalty, but the hosts should have been further in front by then.
Al Ain’s profligacy continued in the second half as star striker Asamoah Gyan spurned a host of chances that would have eased their nerves.
They did enough to secure top spot though and remain on collision course to face Al Jazira in the next round, with their emirate neighbours currently lying in second spot in Group A.
Jazira must now beat Al Shabab Riyadh on Wednesday night to finish atop their pool and avoid a home first-leg tie against The Boss on May 6.
Zlatko Dalic had told his side to make sure of top spot with a win at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium and they certainly heeded his advice with a rapid start.
Gyan and Alex Brosque both forced Ittihad keeper Fawaz Al Qarni into action in the first quarter-hour before the former somehow managed to clear the bar from five yards, after Mohanad Salem flicked Ibrahim Diaky’s cross into his path.
Brosque was forced off through injury shortly afterwards, but his replacement Yassine El Ghanassy’s first intervention was to win the corner from which Al Ain opened the scoring.
Omar Abdulrahman whipped in a devilish delivery from the right that Mansour Sharahili headed into his own net.
Gyan then spurned another golden chance as he headed straight at Al Qarni from seven yards when completely unmarked.
And the hosts would be made to pay as Ittihad notched a contentious equaliser. Referee Kim Sang Woo adjudged Omar Abdulrahman guilty of a trip on Al Ghamdi in the area although replays confirmed he had won the ball.
The striker did not care though, dusting himself down before slotting past Khalid Essa. It was a terrible decision from Woo and he would miss another flashpoint before the break as Ittihad substitute Rashed Al Raheeb got away with a cynical, off-the-ball kick on Mohamed Abdulrahman.
Al Ain began the second-half on the front foot, apparently keen not to suffer the same fate as in the corresponding fixture in Saudi Arabia when they took the lead only to lose 2-1.
However much as in the first half they were unable to turn possession into goals as Gyan’s continued to have an off night in front of goal.
The Ghanaian fired wide when well placed within two minutes of the restart, while Al Raheeb demonstrated the positive side of his game to stop him getting a foot on El Ghanassy’s cut-back.
Gyan would spurn a one-on-one, head an inviting Omar Abdulrahman centre over the bar and volley acrobatically wide before the end.
And Al Ain could have lost the game had Ittihad not missed something of a sitter midway through the second period.
