Where now for Cosmin Olaroiu and his crumbling Al Ahli empire? The AFC Champions League campaign that offered a shot at redemption is moribund, an insipid goalless draw with Nasaf keeping the hosts bottom at the half-way stage of Group D.
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Prophetic signs abounded at Rashid Stadium. A banner stating “we trust in your return to glory” crumpling to the ground in submission by half time.
This is the state of affairs for the neutered treble holders.
The failure to make the round of 16 was the only blot on last season’s triumphant debut for Olaroiu. A repeat result seems almost guaranteed now a pair of home fixtures have delivered an insufficient two-point haul.
Only UAE winger Ismail Al Hammadi showed the requisite urgency to break down well-drilled opponents happy to return east with a share of the spoils. Heralded January arrivals Everton Ribeiro and Oussama Assaidi continued to frustrate, bogged down in the Red Knights’ sterile possession-based play, while sole senior striker Ahmed Khalil was berated from the stands.
Last term, with now-departed Brazil front man Grafite on board, such a limited team would have been blown away.
Full time! @AlAhliClub 0-0 @fcnasaf #ACL2015 #AHLvNAS pic.twitter.com/qvWubwlC3x
— AFC Champions League (@TheAFCCL) March 18, 2015
“We had total control of the game, tried different things. But the problems we had were that we did not score,” Olaroiu said.
“Spectators wanted me to change Ahmed Khalil. We expect him to do something, but nothing really happened.
“He is good free-kick specialist, but he did nothing. I have simply run out of options.”
Ahli were listless in attack once again, enduring a sixth scoreless game in their last eight. The decision during the transfer window to dispense with captain Grafite and de-register Carlos Munoz seems more misguided by the match.
Olaroiu revealed he never had any intention of undertaking the second-half of the season with just Khalil on board.
He said: “We always wanted a striker, and the president [Abdullah Al Naboodah] was willing to pay the price for bringing in a striker.
“We had four names, but none of them came. It was always our intention to bring in a striker, and we relied on these people [the agents] and we ended up making a mistake.
“It was nobody’s fault. They kept saying ‘tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow’ but nobody came.”
The Romanian exhibited more movement on the touchline forlornly cajoling his lethargic troops than they showed on the pitch.
A first half delivered dominance of the ball but only a succession of feeble crosses and failed through-balls for Ahli. The first opening of note came just before the hour mark, UAE full-back Abdelaziz Sanqour sending a loose ball narrowly over from 30 yards.
Fortune then looked to have shined on the Red Knights, Assaidi’s deflected cross being flicked on by returning skipper Luis Jimenez. His effort appeared to be squirming under Uzbekistan No2 Eldorbek Suyunov, though he recovered to claw away on the line.
Skipper Jimenez and Ribeiro then played a one-two from a corner, woefully-out-of-form front man Khalil missing narrowly with a scissor kick.
The final whistle could not come soon enough for yet another forgettable night at Rashid. Once blown, the disconsolate looks from the Ahli players knew time had also been called on their continental hopes.
