UAE President’s Cup: Jamal Abdullah penalty heroics send Al Wahda packing

Dubai: Dubai Club keeper Jamal Abdullah saved twice in a penalty shootout to send the second-tier minnows through to the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup with a win away to Abu Dhabi giants Al Wahda on Thursday.

The game ended 2-2 after normal time. Al Wahda’s Mohammad Al Akbari and Sebastian Tagliabue turned the tables after Mohammad Ebrahim’s late first-half strike right after the interval, but Eisa Ali equalised for Dubai from the spot with ten minutes to spare to send the game into extra time.

After a goalless additional 30 minutes, Abdullah then produced his heroics to save efforts from Esmail Mattar and Mohammad Al Shehhi and seal a 4-2 shootout victory for the underdogs.

Elsewhere, four goals from Asamoah Gyan put Al Ain through to the last-eight with a 5-0 win at home to Dibba Al Fujairah.

The Ghanaian striker struck two goals either side of the interval and Miroslav Stoch added a fifth after the hour as the Arabian Gulf League champions thrashed the newly-promoted second division champions.

Gyan played himself into space on the edge of the area when his back flick came back off his marker’s legs for the opener. He dodged two more defenders to get through on goal before burying the ball on 15 minutes.

Dibba Fujairah had two close calls either side of the half-hour mark, which both went wide of the goal. But the visitors’ attempts to find a way back into the game were short-lived.

Gyan chested down and tapped home a cross from Mohammad Ahmad for his second six minutes before the break and added his third after the interval, heading home Omar Abdul Rahman’s cross on 49 minutes.

A fourth came just four minutes later after Gyan scuffed Stoch’s cross from a quick counter-attack into the bottom corner. Stoch made it five after the hour when his curler from the edge of the box went in off the post.