Abu Dhabi: In less than 24 hours, UAE’s challenge in the AFC Champions League has come to an end. After Al Jazira, the newly-crowned Arabian Gulf League Champions Al Ain were also shown the door after losing their round 16 second leg encounter to Qatar’s Al Duhail 4-1 (8-3 aggregate) at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium Stadium on Tuesday.
Thus, none of the UAE teams will be figuring in this year’s quarter-finals of Continental showpiece event. Al Duhail, with another victory, remain the only team with a 100% win record this year in the AFC Champions League (won 8/8).
It was always going to be uphill task for Al Ain to breach their first leg 4-2 loss at home. And in just 12 minutes, their worries were compounded with Duhail taking the lead through a self-goal from their defender Mohamed Ahmad.
Al Duhail’s South Korean mid-fielder Nam Tae-hee made a defense spitting run before sending a cross from the left and Al Ain defender Ahmad stuck his foot in to deflect it into his own goal.
The 1-0 lead meant that the aggregate had swelled to 5-2 and Al Ain was left with no option but to keep pressing.
Egyptian Hussein El Shahat, back in the side after serving a suspension, came close to scoring with a left-footed effort from the right side of the box but an alert Duhail goalkeeper Amine Lecomte kept it out.
With Al Ain being on the offensive, there was always a danger of the hosts scoring on the counters and that happened in the 30th minute. Youssef El Arabi, left unmarked, tapped home a cross from Ismail Mohammad in the 30th minute and the aggregate lead was widened to 6-2.
After the change of ends, Duhail made it 3-0 with an overlapping Ismail Mohammad scoring after the first attempt from Sultan Al Brake brushing off the palm of onrushing Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.
Duhail then made it 4-0 and El Arabi completed his brace by scoring off a penalty in the 84th minute following a handball by Mohanad Salem.
The consolation goal for Al Ain came through a penalty conversion by Omar Abdul Rahman in the injury-time.
