A 5-4 penalty shootout victory over South American champions River Plate saw Al Ain become the first Emirati side to reach the final of the tournament.

It was the second time in three matches that Al Ain were taken to penalties, with Mamic’s side showing admirable endurance given a brutal recent fixture pile-up.

And the Croatian admitted he could barely believe how deep his players were able to dig for the victory.

Eisa made a string of fantastic saves during normal and extra-time before keeping out Enzo Perez‘s penalty in the shootout to propel The Boss towards a final meeting with either Real Madrid or Kashima Antlers. It is the first time an Emirati side has ever reached the FIFA Club World Cup final. 

A brace from Santos Borre and a goal each for Marcus Berg and Caio left the match evenly poised at 2-2 after 120 minutes. And just as they had done in the tournament’s opening match against Team Wellington, Al Ain triumphed on spot-kicks.

While they met Los Blancos two years ago as tournament hosts, Kashima are this time representing a continent as Asian champions.  

The Japanese side’s appearance in 2016 (a 4-2 defeat) remains the only time an Asian club has reached the FIFA Club World Cup showpiece and they are now looking to make history again as the first AFC champions to make it to the final.

Early strikes from Mohamed Ahmad and Hussein El Shahat set reigning UAE Pro League champions on their way and a second-half goal from Bandar Al Ahbabi secured the win. Al Ain will now take on Copa Libertadores winners River Plate in the semi-final back at their Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.

Both teams unfurled enormous banners ahead of the game and there was frenzied atmosphere throughout the all-Arab clash.