Bruno Cesar struck a dramatic injury time winner as Al Nasr snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and condemned Paulo Bonamigo to a losing start as Al Jazira boss in the Pro League.
The Blue Wave had trailed to Ricardo Oliveira’s 17th-minute opener until the 89th minute when substitute Humaid Ali Abbas rose highest to head home Linardo Lima’s cross.
And Nasr’s remarkable turnaround was complete in time added on as their new Brazilian signing showed great composure to hold off the challenge of Khalid Sabeal and slot past Ali Khaseif in the home goal.
Bonamigo stuck with same side that lost the Super Cup final last week and there was a clear intent from those players to atone for that defeat as they poured forward from kick-off.
However, bar a speculative effort from range from Yaser Matar they had little to show for their endeavours in the opening 15 minutes while Shin Hyung-Min had to be alert early on to stop Hassan Mohammed breaking clear.
That all changed in the 17th minute though as Oliveira illuminated a dull opening 45 minutes with a superb strike from 25 yards that left Nasr keeper Abdulla Moosa Ali with little chance.
There didn’t seem much on when the Brazilian striker received the ball from compatriot Fernandinho, but the former AC Milan man shifted the ball onto his left foot before unleashing an effort that dipped and swerved before finding the net.
The goal brought a smile to the watching Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and while Jazira weren’t playing with a fluency that he perhaps would have liked, they were in the ascendancy for the rest of the half.
Oliveira twice threatened the Nasr defence with threatening runs from the left before half-time, while Bruno Cesar signalled his intent for the visitors as he flicked Hassan’s lobbed pass back over the head of Juma Abdulla only to see his volley deflected behind.
After Nasr full-back Masoud Hasan had stung Khaseif’s finger tips within seconds of the restart, Abdulla Mousa almost doubled the home side’s lead as his met Ibrahim Diaky’s raking ball with a perfectly timed run only to side-foot wide.
The game continued to be end-to-end without ever being frenetic and after Giuseppe Mascara had a penalty appeal turned down, Hassan almost fashioned an equaliser. The Emirati forward was found in the area by Bruno Cesar’s lovely through-ball but having stayed onside the former Dubai man was unable to beat Khaseif.
At the other end, Oliveira and Fernandinho both had chances to seal the win, the former spurning the more presentable opportunity as he played a smart one-two with substitute Ali Mabkhout in the box only to volley wide off balance.
Nasr sub Humaid Ali Abbas had already caught Khaseif napping with a cross that hit the Jazira keeper’s near post and it was the Emirati who got his head to Lima’s cross to bring the Blue Wave level with less than two minutes to go.
There was still time though for Lima to play a ball in behind the Jazira defence that found Bruno Cesar, who calmly completed the comeback.
LINE-UPS:
Al Jazira (4-2-2-2): Khaseif 6; Masoud 5, Juma A 6, Shin 7, Mousa 7; Matar 6, Khamis 6; Delgado 6, Diaky 6; Oliveira 7, Fernandinho 6
Subs: Sabeal on for Masoud (63’, 6), Mabkhout on for Fernandinho (78’), Bargash on for Delgado (86’)
Al Nasr (4-3-3): Abdulla M 5; Masoud 6, Darwish 7, Bader 7, Ali 6; Fardan 6, Lima 7, Akram 6; Mascara 6, Hassan M 7, Bruno Cesar 8
Subs: Humaid A on for Hassan M (67’, 8), Ahmed on for Fardan (77’), Yunus on for Akram (83’)
Referee: Mohamed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed
Attendance: 8,650
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