The players missing as Al Ahli began their Arabian Gulf Cup campaign yesterday were of far greater interest than the narrow 2-0 triumph against Emirates Club.
Record-breaking €17 million (Dh70m) target Moussa Sow was the talk of a punishingly-humid Rashid Stadium. But the Senegal forward was nowhere in sight 24 hours after he paid an emotional farewell to the Fenerbahce masses in Istanbul, official announcement of his impending switch still to arrive before kick-off.
There was also the prospect of the 10 established stars away on international duty, robbing Red Knights boss Cosmin Olaroiu of his finest UAE players – both senior and junior – and unwanted winger Oussama Assaidi to Morocco. With the visiting Falcons minus injured attacking midfielder Brett Holman, this run out in the domestic’s game third-most important competition felt distinctly second rate.
But there were still sprinklings of star dust to be found, summer buy Lima continuing to look a sound addition as he artfully volleyed home his fourth goal in three competitive appearances on 41 minutes to light up a match which will not live long in the collective memory.
– AGL: Olaroiu staying quiet over Sow pursuit
– Nepal: How football is rising from the rubble
– #360Valora: Rate EPL, La Liga & UCL matches
The €7m (Dh28.4m) purchase from Benfica and countryman Everton Ribeiro looked like they were playing a different sport for much of the contest. Their inter-play and understanding delighted, a linesman’s flag and some wayward finishing preventing them making the margin of victory wider prior to defensive midfielder Humaid Abbas’ 90th-minute rebound.
This was a comedown from the 8-1 Arabian Gulf League-opener against Fujairah and 1-0 AFC Champions League quarter-final, first leg at Naft Tehran. But that is what the AG Cup does.
Throw Sow – a player given a hero’s send-off at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Sunday after 52 goals in 107 appearances plus two Super Lig titles since January 2012 – into this mix and a repeat of the disappointment witnessed at Ahli in 2014/15 seems impossible.
Emirates barely got a kick all night, one darting run from Brazilian forward Rodrigo Pimpao on 20 minutes ending with a disappointing lashed finish. Playmaker Ribeiro had already repeated a similar act by that point in the other half.
The goal when it came was delightful. A swift counter-attack lead to a pin-point cross from returning UAE full-back Abdelaziz Sanqour, his centre being gleefully sidefooted in by the on-rushing Lima.
The second half meandered by, Lima being correctly flagged offside when his early header crept in and Pimpao fizzing a late effort from 20 yards wide of the post.
All hope of an unlikely equaliser died in injury time, midfielder Nawaf Mubarak’s free-kick being pushed onto the crossbar but not away from the waiting Abbas to head home.
