Analysis: Omar Abdulrahman untouchable as Al Ain advance

The club from the United Arab Emirates were once again indebted to star man and 2016 AFC Player of the Year Omar Abdulrahman, with the Emirati No. 10 claiming a goal and two assists on the night to have a hand in all three of his side’s goals.

Given that Al Ain struggled to push home their advantage in general play, with Bunyodkor even creating more shooting opportunities from within the penalty area (6-7), it was Abdulrahman’s contribution which proved differential between the two teams.

Clinical passing in final third sets up win

Al Ain may not have enjoyed overall dominance, with just a 55-45 possession split on the night, but they did make more of their time in attacking areas.

Overall, just 18.7 percent of the tie was spent in Al Ain’s defensive third as the Emirati side used their ability on the ball to push higher up the pitch.

While their overall passing success rate of 84.2 percent is strong, it is the 80.9 percent of passes completed in the opponents’ half which stands out as testament to the quality of their play on the night. A cross completion ratio of 42.9 percent is also particularly high.

Zoran Mamic’s side could have asserted more authority on the game as a whole, particularly early on, but showed their undoubted class with their use of the ball in attacking areas.

Lee Myung-joo controls tempo of game

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Given that Al Ain struggled to push home their advantage in general play, with Bunyodkor even creating more shooting opportunities from within the penalty area (6-7), it was Abdulrahman\u2019s contribution which proved differential between the two teams.

Clinical passing in final third sets up win

\n\n

Al Ain may not have enjoyed overall dominance, with just a 55-45 possession split on the night, but they did make more of their time in attacking areas.

Overall, just 18.7 percent of the tie was spent in Al Ain\u2019s defensive third as the Emirati side used their ability on the ball to push higher up the pitch.

While their overall passing success rate of 84.2 percent is strong, it is the 80.9 percent of passes completed in the opponents\u2019 half which stands out as testament to the quality of their play on the night. A cross completion ratio of 42.9 percent is also particularly high.

Zoran Mamic\u2019s side could have asserted more authority on the game as a whole, particularly early on, but showed their undoubted class with their use of the ball in attacking areas.

Lee Myung-joo controls tempo of game

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