Al Nasr must push for ACL glory

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  • On the way up

    The portents were ominous for Al Nasr as the clock ticked towards kick-off in Doha.

    A blinding sandstorm yesterday afternoon was followed by grey skies more befitting of Manchester during August than the Middle East as they prepared for play to begin in their 2016 AFC Champions League quarter-final, first leg.

    Ivan Jovanovic’s side – so eager to continue their debut run in the competition’s knockout stages – could not have been blamed for feeling nervous as they prepared for the showdown against Qatar’s El Jaish.

    Yet such thoughts are now anathema to a club on an upwards trajectory and who delivered one of the finest away performance in the history of the UAE’s participation in the continent’s elite club tournament.

    This 3-0 blitzkrieg will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it and the home supporters who painfully endured it. A tragedy must now occur at Al Maktoum Stadium on September 14 to prevent entry into the last-four.

    Anything can happen from here, just ask Dubai neighbours Al Ahli. As they showed last year, a side who finished off the pace in the Arabian Gulf League can go all the way to Asia’s showpiece contest.

    Not even the absence of star forward Jires Kembo Ekoko through suspension against the players he, temporarily, used to call team-mates could shake Nasr.

    Smart summer business and the expertise of a coach whose cup record is second to none means dreams of breaking Al Ain and Ahli’s domestic duopoly, as well as pushing on at a continental level, are not pipe dreams.

    The 12-000-capacity Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium looked less than a third full, dreadfully disappointing for a nation set to host the World Cup – the grandest tournament of all – in just six years. But for the vocal ‘Nasrawy’ masses who had made the short hop from Dubai, this was 90 minutes to cherish.

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    UAE heavyweights Al Ain had been confidently dispatched 2-1 by Jaish on Qatari soil during the group stage. Such an outcome never seemed possible last night.

    The Blue Wave had blundered through their previous two entries into the ACL. This squad is imbued with far greater talent and desire.

    The task of picking out a man of the match was a tough one. Summer addition Wanderley’s predatory brace made him the obvious pick, but there were stand-out displays everywhere.

    Mubarak Saeed is a Rolls Royce of a centre-back, blessed with a frame and poise which mean only ongoing knee problems have prevented a standout international career. He was magnificent.

    In front of him, UAE call-up Khalid Jalal and the unceasing Amer Mubarak diligently snuffed out any fires.

    Winger Jonathan Pitroipa struck the second, while midfielder Tariq Ahmed’s raking ball which set up the opener was worthy of coming off David Beckham’s boot – his new blond rinse was also reminiscent of the England icon.

    Not even the introduction of ex-Barcelona and Roma stalwart Seydou Keita immediately after the break could stop the Blue Wave. In punishingly-humid conditions at the start of the season, they would push on and double their first-half tally.

    This must now be the starting point for a push for silverware. The GCC Club Cup-win of 2014 which ended a 25-year trophy drought during Jovanovic’s first term plus the Arabian Gulf Cup and President’s Cup-double a season later must be the preamble.

    Al Ain and Ahli have shared the domestic crown since 2010/11, while the former-mentioned Boss are the nation’s only ACL conquerors.

    On this evidence, Nasr can put an end to both these statistics.

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