Abu Dhabi: Al Ain’s backlog fixtures in the Arabian Gulf League, due to the Asian Champions League commitments earlier, are proving to be a huge bonus and the purple brigade is clearly making the most of it.
On Wednesday, they registered a 3-2 victory over Hatta to climb to the top of the league table with 30 points from 12 outings, one point more than second-placed Al Jazira.
“Our goal was clear and we wanted those three points. We had absolute control of the game till the 85th minute. We created several changes and were in the offensive.
“The team faced tough conditions before the game with the absence of key players and then Fawzi Fayez got injured within the first 10 minutes, but thanks to the players for showing spirit,” said Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic in the post-match press briefing.
Douglas drew first blood for Al Ain with a clinical header obliging to a cross from Badar Al Ahbabi in the 27th minute. Then Caio doubled the lead with a left-footed attempt, 10 minutes before the breather. Al Ain led 3-0 in the 80th minute after Caio’s low cross was pushed into the own goal by Hatta captain Khamis Al Ajmani.
Hatta did salvage some pride with substitute Essa Shirook making an impact as soon as he took the field and Samuel Goncalves scored via a penalty deep into stoppage time to make it 3-2.
“The result of 3-2 will show a different perspective, but the reality is that we controlled the whole game. There were a few problems in the last five minutes and we conceded two goals, but overall I’m happy,” added Dalic, whose side will be meeting Bani Yas next in the 14th round. They also have a round 8 match against Al Jazira which has been rescheduled for the 23rd of this month.
“All the meetings remain important for us and all the contests are going to be strong as the team playing against Al Ain are always looking to play hard and win. So all our games are tough,” said Dalic.
