Analysis: Mamic's new look Al Ain move into last 16

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Analysis: Mamic's new look Al Ain move into last 16

Isfahan: In their biggest game of the 2017 AFC Champions League campaign so far, Zoran Mamic adopted a high-risk strategy that not only brought his side a 3-0 win away to Zobahan, but took Al Ain into the knockout phase of this year’s competition.

Defeat would have left last year\u2019s beaten finalists\u2019 hopes of going a step further in tatters, so choosing 22-year-old Yousef Ahmad to lead the attacking line on his first-ever start in the AFC Champions League was either brave or foolhardy.

Ahmad selction pays off

Ahmad started as the focal point of Al Ain\u2019s attack, a remarkable show of faith from Mamic in the youngster in a game the club from the United Arab Emirates had to win to stay alive in the competition.

Flanked by interchanging wingers Caio and Asprilla, Ahmad did an admirable job during the 57 minutes he was on the pitch as Al Ain took the lead.

While he did not manage a single shot on target, he played a key role in the opening goal, making the run towards the near post that drew the Zobahan defence away from Asprilla as he received Caio\u2019s pass from the right before scuffing his shot past Mohammadrashid Mazaheri to score.

Abdulrahman shines yet again

A slow start from Omar Abdulrahman \u2013 so often the catalyst for everything positive from Al Ain \u2013 saw Zobahan threaten to take control of the game, with their own No. 10, Ehsan Pahlavan, to the fore in the opening 45 minutes.

Several times in the first-half, it was Pahlavan who presented the biggest threat for Zobahan with his penetrating runs and skill from the left hand side.

In the 24th\u00a0minute he had a shot pushed to safety by Khalid Eisa in the Al Ain goal and five minutes before half time his direct run into the area was halted, with Zobahan claims for a penalty waved away by the referee. Before that, he ended a twisting run with a shot just wide of the target.

But it was a different story in the second half as Abdulrahman stepped up for an Al Ain side fortunate to still be leading after Jerry Bengtson\u2019s miss from the penalty spot late in the first half.

Omar Abdulrahman scored a fine solo goal to double Al Ain\u2019s lead in the 60th\u00a0minute before setting up his brother Mohammed to put the seal on what was a comfortable win in the end.

Mohammed Abdulrahman joins Omar in spotlight

Mohammed Abdulrahman has spent much of his career in the shadow of his more illustrious brother Omar, but the 28-year-old gave an accomplished display despite being asked by Mamic to play at the heart of the Al Ain midfield.

Slotting in alongside Lee Myung-joo, Abdulrahman put in an impressive performance, notching up a pass completion rate of 82.1 percent as well as scoring the third goal that ensured there was no way back into the game for the Iranian side.