Al Ahli navigated a chaotic match against Al Jazira on Sunday night, record-buy Moussa Sow and Kwon Kyung-won’s strikes sandwiching UAE striker Ali Mabkhout’s cool penalty in reply to make it 2-1.
Thursday’s tantalising showdown with holders Al Ain on home soil now awaits. The stakes couldn’t be greater.
The triumph wasn’t without its problems. A defensive shake-up will be required after Salmeen Khamis followed the host’s Park Jong-woo down the tunnel during an end to the first half which saw both teams reduced to 10 men.
For the hosts, the end of a miserable season cannot come soon enough. A re-jigged side full of youth after Wednesday’s elimination from the AFC Champions League offers promise of a brighter future.
But such big spenders should not be relying on foals such as the inventive Khalfan Mubarak – who won the spot-kick – and Ahmed Rabea.
When the fixture list was released, this looked like the first of two-consecutive championship eliminators for the Red Knights. Searching questions must be asked by Jazira’s senior management as to why this was, by a distance, not the case.
An early goal for Ahli settled any nerves. Their €17 million (Dh81m) forward Sow provided it, collecting an erroneous back-header from UAE defender Fares Juma to ruthlessly slot in his 14th goal from 27 appearances.
Defensive midfielder Khamis Esmail was enjoying a consummate return to Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium for the first time since a Dh60m switch in January at this stage, before calamity – as it so often does at this venue – then appeared.
South Korea midfielder Park’s NFL-worthy check on Ahli winger Ismail Al Hammadi brought a second yellow card on 40 minutes. Firebrand Khamis soon followed him down the tunnel after he volleyed full-back Salim Rashid rather than the ball after Juma crashed a header against his own crossbar.
Into the second half, the space provided by a 10 v 10 contest allowed centre-back Kwon to strike a remarkable second. Drifting in from the flank, he played a one-two with excellent Brazil playmaker Everton Ribeiro before cracking into the top corner via Ali Khaseif’s fingertips.
A lifeline for Jazira came after Habib Fardan and Sow wasted further opportunities at the other end. Mubarak was clipped by the latter inside the box, Mabkhout stepping up from 12 yards to slot home his 17th top-flight goal this term.
With Ribeiro, Fardan and Esmail at the centre, Ahli then showed nous to expertly constrict a potentially-tricky final 25 minutes. Only a miscued volley from Mabkhout with the final kick caused panic.
The first part of a decisive five days has been navigated successfully. The difficult bit is up next.
