Al Ain progress into AFCCL round of 16 with match to spare

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  • Ismail Ahmed (r) and Al Ain have ended a run of draws to reach the round of 16.

    The perfect away performance has moved Al Ain from the precipice of humiliating AFC Champions League elimination to another shot at its knockout stages.

    Inspired by resolute UAE No1 Khalid Essa and typically-sensational 2016 AFC Player of the Year Omar Abdulrahman, last year’s beaten finalists defended stoically and countered ruthlessly during last night’s must-not-lose match at Zob Ahan.

    The 3-0 victory, which also involved making the most of a woeful penalty from Honduras forward Jerry Bengtson and Iran goalkee-per Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri’s flimsy wrists, allied with previous Group C-leaders Al Ahli Jeddah’s shock 2-0 loss at eliminated Bunyodkor, means they have entered the round of 16 for the fourth-successive year.

    Progression with a game to spare is some turnaround after Syria predator Omar Al Soma’s late leveller for Ahli a fortnight ago made it three draws from four matches, heaping pressure on last night’s clash at Foolad Shahr Stadium. With the President’s Cup and Arabian Gulf League already gone, another setback would have made 2016/17 a season to forget.

    “We went through tough stuff  recently at the continental and  local levels,” Essa told beIN Sports.

    “The spirit we showed today, this is the Al Ain we know very well.”

    Essa, 27, had already saved wonderfully from attackers Ehsan Pahlevan and Morteza Tabrizi by the time a tame shot from Colombian winger Danilo Asprilla – who struck against the same opponents in last year’s knockouts – was flapped in by Mazaheri.

    Further chances were conceded before UAE veteran Ismail Ahmed’s handball deep into first-half injury time led to Bengtson embarrassingly tapping down the middle to the grateful Essa from 12 yards.

    The stage was then set for Omar Abdulrahman to shine once again. A wonderful shimmy helped him dance past several Zob defenders and slot into the bottom corner on the hour mark.

    The hosts need ACL progress to salvage a poor domestic campaign of their own. They pushed for it in vain, leaving gaps from which ‘Amoory’s’ insouciant nutmegged assist allowed sibling Mohamed to fire the Boss to the top of their pool and qualification.

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