Abu Dhabi: Al Jazira coach Henk ten Cate said his side were the best team in the Arabian Gulf League after their emphatic 2-0 late win at home to third-placed Al Ain on Wednesday.
Ali Mabkhout netted twice on 82 and 94 minutes to secure the win, which sees them stay six points clear of second-placed Al Ahli with five games remaining, while Al Ain fell 10 points behind.
Al Ahli kept the pressure up with a 2-0 win away to mid-table Al Dhafra on Wednesday courtesy of goals either half from Asamoah Gyan and Makhete Diop.
But it might be in vain as Al Jazira now need just three more wins to secure the title, their first since 2011.
“I realise we don’t have the best football players, but I think we have the best team,” said the former Chelsea and Barcelona assistant.
“We played [against] the best footballing team in the league [in Al Ain], with the most quality, but sometimes only football is not enough.
“If you look at Al Jazira, the entire season everyone is fighting, everybody is working their socks off, we are a very strong team and we are difficult to beat.
“It was a very difficult game, but the team showed the right spirit, they fought. I’m a happy coach, we took three points in a very important game and the dream continues.”
Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic said: “My team played very good apart from scoring goals. It’s very difficult to play against nine referees. From the first minute, guys from the bench jumped and commented on every decision.”
Despite Al Jazira staying on course, Al Ahli striker Diop, who scored against his old side Al Dhafra, said there was still hope for his new employers.
“They are challenging for the title and with five more rounds left we just need to win every game and hope for some favourable results to come our way from the other games.”
As a side plot to Al Jazira and Al Ahli’s title run-in, Al Ahli’s 2015 Asian Player of the Year winning striker Ahmad Khalil has been linked with a move to Al Jazira once his contract expires this summer in a four-year deal worth Dh18 million a year, which would make him the UAE’s highest-paid player. Both Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu and Al Jazira boss Ten Cate have dispelled the reports as rumour.
