Abu Dhabi: Al Wasl, the last season’s runner-up, rallied twice from behind to settle for a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Al Ain in their Arabian Gulf League opener at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, late on Saturday evening.
The absorbing encounter saw Swedish recruit Marcus Berg and Brazilian Douglas score for Al Ain while both Brazilians Caio and Fabio De Lima scored for Al Wasl.
Coming into the clash after seeing their AFC Champions League semi-final dreams shatter at the hands of Saudi’s Al Hilal, Al Ain’s contest against last year’s runner-up Al Wasl was a test of steel.
What made the contest more challenging for Al Ain was the absence of their coach Zoran Mamic in the dugout. The Croat had to watch the contest from the stands as he is serving a two-match ban and a fine of Dh15, 000 for his misconduct during their match against Hatta in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
Despite that, Al Ain showed a lot of urgency from the start and were rewarded within six minutes. Berg opened the account with a left-footed deflection after being set with a diagonal by Brazilian Caio following a pin point lob from Khalid Abdul Rahman.
Then six minutes later, Al Ain’s Douglas managed to put the ball in goal but he was pulled for off side. Al Wasl also looked threatening whenever they had their share of the ball but what provided them the breakthrough was a contentious penalty in the 44th minute.
The goal scorer Berg’s slight nudge on the back of Al Wasl’s Abdul Rahman Ali as the latter was lunging forward to meet a corner, proved costly for Al Ain. Referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan pointed it out to the spot.
Al Wasl star forward who shares the same name and nationality as Al Ain forward Caio, lived up to his billing. His first effort was disallowed as his Brazilian teammate De Lima made the mistake of stepping into the box even before the former had taken the penalty. Caio remained undeterred and ended up finding the goal with an identical effort which sent Al Ain goalkeeper on Khalid Eisa on the wrong.
Just before going into the breather, a Douglas effort was saved on the goal-line by Al Wasl goalkeeper Yousef Al Zaabi and in doing so the latter got injured and had to be replaced by 22-year-old Sultan Al Manthari.
Within 10 minutes after the change of ends, Al Ain managed to restore their lead. Skipper Omar Abdul Rahman somehow managed to slide and keep a ball in play and Al Wasl defense remained rooted thinking it would be a goal kick. A watchful Berg then pulled it back from the back line to set it for an unmarked Douglas, who had all the time in the world to pick his spot.
Eight minutes later, the visitors again managed to restore parity. A Salem Al Azizi cross from the right found Lima who pulled out a blinder – a breathtaking left-footed volley which blasted the goal, giving very little chance for Al Ain goalkeeper Eisa to react.
Then in the 72nd minute, Al Ain’s Japanese recruit Tsukasa Shiotani unleased a curling long range effort which dipped in sharply towards the far post but an alert Al Wasl substitute goalkeeper Al Manthari proved his credentials by tipping it over.
Five minutes before the final whistle, Shiotani was once again in the thick of action. His another fine release from the right flank was met with a diving header from Douglas but the ball missed the goal by inches. Berg almost stole the thunder with a goal in the dying minutes but the offside flag was up. In the end the draw was a fitting result for both teams who were entertaining all throughout the 90 minutes.
