(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) It was quite literally a David vs Goliath fixture with First Division club Fujairah up against record Arabian Gulf League champions-in-waiting Al Ain.
And the presence of a certain Diego Maradona at Shabab Al Ahli's Stadium in Al Awir on Thursday, lent a buzz and that bit of spark to this President's Cup quarterfinal fixture.
The 57-year-old Argentine legend kissed the match-ball before kick-off, briefly sat on the fourth referee chair, mimicking a orchestra conductor.
Perhaps, Maradona was showering his blessings on his team, and it seemed to have rubbed off on them as Fujairah punched much above their weight, surprised Al Ain, and ran them close.
But Al Ain had just about enough in them to see them through with a 4-2 scoreline, the result giving them entry into the President's Cup last four.
Al Ain were without their full complement of foreign stars with Swedish international Marcus Berg and Tsukasa Shiotani sitting out as tournament rules said that a team can have only two foreign players when playing against a First Division side.
Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic went with the Brazilian playmaker Caio and Egyptian midfielder Hussein El Shahat and both got on the scoresheet.
This was after Ahmed Khalil had cancelled out Mohamed Khalfan's shock strike early in the game and Hassan Ameen's own goal.
The defeat may have hurt but Maradona can take heart from the fact that his team, who are plotting their return to the UAE top flight since the 2014-15 season, more than held their own against a top class side like Al Ain.
It had made for nervy scoreline at one stage for Al Ain with the score at 3-2 after Khaled Abdulla had cut into the deficit. But Caio added insurance in the second of four minutes of stoppage time as Al Ain reached their first semifinal since the 2015-16 season.
The Boss join Al Wasl and Al Wahda with the last semifinalist to be known later after the clash between Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah.
It was Maradona's first brush with a top flight side since 2012 during his time with Al Wasl, and Fujairah took a shock lead through Mohamed Khalfan, who latched onto a through ball from Mohannad Khameis and shot it over the onrushing goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.
The move had come about after Saeed Rashed had intercepted Omar Abdulrahman's pass and had fed it to Khameis.
Al Ain tried to hit back through Omar Abdulrahman, who saw his shot deflect off a defender after Caio had made a foray, and then later, 'Amoory' blazed his effort over the cross bar.
Fujairah tried to add cushion at the other end with Omar Kossoko embarking on a solo from the right but Eisa didn't panic and thwarted the attempt.
Ahmed Khalil had the ball into the back of the net for Al Ain on 24 minutes but the striker was found to be in an off-side position following Rayan Yaslam's pass.
But Khalil was not to be denied five minutes later as he headed in Omar's loopy pass past the onrushing shot stopper Saleh Rabei.
And Al Ain were gifted the lead a minute later after Hassan Ameen deflected it into his own goal while attempting to clear El Shahat's goal-bound shot from the right.
They then added cushion to the lead with El Shahat controlling a cross from Caio and firing it into the far corner of the net on 39 minutes.
Al Ain were denied by the woodwork after Khalil's effort hit the right post following Caio's pass.
Some lax defending saw Fujairah reduce the deficit with Khaled Abdulla stabbing it home from the near post following a corner.
There were plenty of chances as the clock wound down with Caio, Khalil, Omar and Bandar Alahbabi all denied until Caio played on to a through from Omar before rounding up Saleh Rabei and firing home.
MENAFN1304201800490000ID1096730660
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.