Al Ain boss Zoran Mamic has warned his side they “have not achieved anything” yet as they look to successfully complete the second part of a pivotal week by adding the Arabian Gulf League’s crown to progression in the 2018 AFC Champions League.
The Boss emphatically made the continental round of 16 for the fifth year in a row when they thrashed Al Rayyan 4-1 during Monday’s one-sided eliminator from Group D. Next up is their pursuit of domestic dominance.
Victory at third-placed Al Nasr on Saturday will guarantee a record-extending 13th top-flight crown and end a trophy drought stretching back to 2015’s Arabian Gulf Super Cup.
“We are looking forward to winning the league title because we have not achieved anything this season,” said Mamic, who joined in February 2017. “After that, we’ll think about the President’s Cup and then we’ll go back to focusing on the AFC Champions League.”
The goals at Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium came from Egypt midfielder Hussein El Shahat’s tap-in, a fierce free-kick from exiled UAE playmaker Omar Abdulrahman – who is now the club’s joint-top scorer in the ACL with legendary former centre forward Asamoah Gyan on 18 strikes – plus a pair of predatory finishes from Sweden No9 Marcus Berg.
Veteran Qatar target man Sebastian Soria produced a late consolation from close range.
