Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: Al Ain’s fine form and domestic reign continues after being crowned the UAE President’s Cup champions with a 2-1 win over Al Wasl in the final at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Thursday.
The achievement comes less than a week after winning the UAE Pro League for a record 13th time since 1976.
Zoran Mamic’s side took the lead in the third minute with Ismail Ahmed finding the back of the net with a superb volley, courtesy of playmaker Omar Abdulrahman’s corner kick.
Al Wasl hunted for an equaliser with Fabio Lima coming closest in the first half when his free'kick slammed into the top bar in the 25th minute.
Less than 10 minutes later, Abdulrahman was on the move, dashing on the left flank before sending a through pass into the box, setting Marcus Berg up for a fine finish but Al Wasl goalkeeper Yousef Al Zaabi was quick to deny the attempt.
Berg would eventually etch his name on the scoresheet five minutes after the restart when Al Ain moved on a counter-attack that saw captain Abdulrahman sprinting down the midfield before sending a swift pass to the Swede in the final third, where he made no mistake in a one-on-one contest with Al Zaabi.
However, Al Ain were reduced to 10 men when Ahmed was shown the red card for a rough challenge on Salem Al Ozaizi outside the box in the 76th minute.
Caio scored a consolation goal for Al Wasl in added time, but it was too little too late as Al Ain lifted the UAE President’s Cup for a seventh time.
Al Ain will also look to continue their momentum in the 2018 AFC Champions League Round of 16 matches against Qatar’s Al Duhail - who won all six games in their group stage campaign - on May 8 and 15.