Al Ain out of Arab Club Champions Cup following bizarre away goals rule

Matt Jones - Editor 01:18 05/08/2018
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  • Ibrahim Diaky scored for Al Ain but it proved in vain.

    Al Ain’s hopes of lifting a second Arab Club Champions Cup ended in bizarre circumstances on Saturday night as they were knocked out of the 2018/19 competition by Algeria’s ES Satif.

    In a strange twist, Al Ain won the second leg 1-0 in Zagreb, meaning the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate. But Satif advanced to the last 16 via away goals, even though both the first and second legs were played at Stadion Maksimir in the Croatian capital.

    Having lost the opening leg of the newly formatted straight knockout competition 2-1 on Tuesday, Zoran Mamic’s men won the second encounter, although veteran Ibrahim Diaky’s first half header was not enough to salvage their hopes in the pre-season competition, with Hacene Hemmar’s side somehow advancing.

    The Boss’ preparations for the tournament had been hounded by off-field drama prior to Tuesday’s opening leg loss.

    An eligibility row broke out after a threat was made to withhold all nine UAE call-ups – bar talisman Omar Abdulrahman – from the national team’s external training camp in Austria from August 1-18.

    Mamic insisted it was in the “best interest” of UAE football that he had retained a number of international stars for the first-round decider against Satif.

    A compromise was then reached which meant utility defender Mohamed Ahmed, centre-back Mohanad Salem and anchorman Ahmed Barman were missing from the squad in Saturday’s clincher.

    However, they still dominated the game, raining 11 shots down on goal and enjoying two thirds possession.

    The Boss scored the only game through their evergreen midfielder just before the break.

    Versatile Japanese defender Tsukasa Shiotani’s wicked free-kick was flicked on by UAE international Amer Abdulrahman and 36-year-old Diaky was free at the back post but still had plenty to do as he stooped to head in, with Satif stopper Moustapha Zeghba getting a hand on the header but unfortunate and unable to prevent it crossing the line.

    Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ain get their title defence underway against Emirates Club in Ras Al Khaimah on August 31.

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