Purple army prove to be the cup kings

Meatloaf once sang two out of three ain't bad. The frilly-shirted rocker was not wrong but after winning their second trophy of the season Al Ain will be hungry for the third.

The President's Cup Final was the second final this year to be played at Al Jazira Club and it ended in similar fashion with Al Ain winning by a goal to nil against Al Shabab.

The game again was a tight affair with fouls aplenty and a fair bit of play-acting to boot. The solitary goal came from Andre Diaz from the penalty spot for a somewhat dubious handball.

The strangest sight when the goal went in was that of coach Wilfred Schaeffer refusing to celebrate and sitting on the bench stone-faced.

He did show more passion later in the game and was sent to the stands, once again. It was quite a return to form for the biggest team in the UAE who once went 10 straight years winning either the League or the President's Cup.

The level of support they have is unmatched and the purple in the crowd must have outnumbered the Al Shabab green by four to one. I did think there would have been a bigger crowd for the final, which is normally a sell-out.

The kick-off time may have made it difficult for fans to get to the stadium on time plus Al Shabab are not one of the best supported teams in the UAE. The result means now that the Oasis City will host AFC Champions League football next season and it gives them a chance to repeat the glories they enjoyed under Bruno Metsu.

The league title could well be slipping away from Al Ain as league action returned with Al Ahli securing a narrow 3-2 victory against Al Wasl. The draw between Al Jazira and a struggling Al Shaab could be the most telling result of the season. Bianno missing for Al Jazira was a massive loss and it cost the team goals as they fought out a 0-0 draw.

Distant third

The top of the table now sees Al Ahli three points clear of Al Jazira.

Al Ain are now seven points off the league leaders and that third trophy could now be just out of their grasp. There are six games left between now and the end of the season in a very tight title race. The full programme of league action returns this weekend and all the games are being played on the Saturday. The three title-chasers will all face opposition who have not performed in the second half of the season.

Al Ain are away to Ajman who have slipped alarmingly since the break and are minus a coach, in what is simply a must-win game.

Al Jazira are at home and face Sharjah who have too little resources to put in a strong performance in both the AFC Champions league and the domestic league. Sharjah could be dragged into a relegation battle if they are not careful. Al Ahli are away to lowly Al Khaleej who are all but doomed to the second division. They are six points adrift of safety and a team who didn't really strengthen from their second division days.

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