Dubai: Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club beat Hatta 2-1 in Thursday’s Arabian Gulf Cup quarter-final second leg to progress to the semis 5-1 on aggregate.
Henrique Luvannor, Waleed Esmail and Saud Saif already had Shabab Ahli 3-0 up from December’s first leg away win.
But then goals from Makhete Diop and Ante Erceg, interrupted only by Hatta’s Ahmad Khamis, rounded off the routing.
Diop put Shabab Ahli in front on 50 minutes after being set up by Erceg. The Croatian winger cut the ball back across goal on the edge of the area away from the defenders ready for the Senegalese striker to run into the box unimpeded before shooting into the bottom right corner.
Hatta equalised three minutes later courtesy of Khamis bringing a long ball down, turning his marker and then chipping the keeper Majed Nasser, who had come off his line.
Shabab Ahli could have added another on 69 minutes when Hassan Ebrahim’s long shot caught a deflection off Omro Al Medani and hit the post.
But a one-two in the box between Erceg and Diop finally did lead to a winner on 83 minutes when Erceg volleyed Diop’s return straight into the bottom left of goal.
Shabab Ahli’s cup run distracts from a poor league season where they are currently sixth with only one win in the past 12 matches. Six of these were draws under former coach Cosmin Olaroiu. Mahdi Ali took over in early December and has overseen three defeats, two draws and a win.
