Al Ain hold Italian side to draw in friendly

The Al Ain Club football team held Italian Division Two side Albinoleffe to a 1-1 draw in their penultimate friendly match on Thursday.

The UAE League Champions, who are preparing themselves for the away semifinals of the AFC Champions League against Dalian Shide at the end of this month in China, were the superior side for a major part of the game.

In fact, they could have even won the encounter had not the referee denied the UAE league champions a penalty after Rami Yaslam was felled inside the box.

The scoring was opened by Mohammed Omar, 15 minutes into the second session. Mohammed Omar tapped in a deflection off the goalkeeper off a Faisal Ali shot on the goal.

The home team scored the equaliser eight minutes from time to salvage a draw.

Al Ain are due to play their final friendly match later today. This match will officially conclude the Al Ain team's external camp in Switzerland and Italy.

They will get a three-day break after their return to the UAE, after which they will depart for a further one-week preparation to South Korea.

In South Korea, Al Ain is scheduled to play one final friendly game against a local team. From there, they will depart for their game against Dalian on August 28.