Al Shaab defender Khalid Saqr (No.28) trying to stop Brazilian striker Rudrigo Bareus of Diba Al Hisn. ©Gulf News |
In Abu Dhabi, favourites Al Ain scored a comfortable 3-1 win over Al Dhafra to enter the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The Kalba team led 1-0 in the first half, the goal scored by Moroccan pro SalahEddin Al Khelaifi four minutes before the break. Walid Murad levelled for Al Nasr in 61st minute.
The regular time ended 1-1 and Abdul Karim Hasan scored the winner - a 'silver goal' for Al Ittihad in the 115th minute to put his team in the quarterfinals.
The Al Nasr supporters who attended the match in Ras Al Khaimah were boiling after the defeat, shouting against the team's coach French Rene Exbrayat and asked the club officialls to change him before the start of the league next Sunday.
In the second match played at the Al Shabab Stadium, Al Shaab beat Diba Al Hisn with a solitary goal scored by Rashid Abdul Rahman from a penalty kick seven minutes from kick off.
A second division team, Al Hisn gave Al Shaab a run for their money. They went out with their heads high after the excellent performance. They came near to levelling the score, but the Al Shaab defence led by Rashid Abdul Rahman and Omran Al Jessmy stood firm and cleared away all the opportunities created by Brazilian professionals Mariozan Cardoso and Rudrigo Bareus.
Tariq Salim, who came in as a substitute, added more fire in the Al Hisn attacks in the last 20 minutes but in vain.
Playing at the Al Nahyan Stadium, Al Ain were 2-0 up within the first nine minutes and after that played at half pace to outclass their rivals from the lower division.
Young Haroon Hassan impressed early in the game but what was a welcome move for the small bunch of Al Ain fans was the appearance of their star player Abu Bakr Sanogo, who came in as a substitute in the second half after they took a 3-0 lead.
Hassan crossed for Mohammed Omar to score the easiest of goals in the very fourth minute and five minutes later, Ghareeb Hareb made it 2-0. Snatching the ball off a defender, Hareb hit a powerful shot from aboiut 35 yards to beat Dhafra custodian Badr Ali.
But Al Dhafra could have scored when their Burkina Faso player Romeo Cambo missed three chances in five minutes. First he hit straight to Moataz Abdulla, again into the Al Ain custodian from close range and then shot wide.
In the 21st minute, Al Dhafra again came close when Juma Darwish missed but Al Ain made it 3-0 when Hassan himself scored in the 24th minute.
Al Ain then relaxed and a brilliant freekick by Al Dhafra's Khalid Kamma, their Moroccan pro, hit the bar and the rebound was headed out by Darwish again.
Sanogo was certainly not in full fitness, while Bruno Metsu made a few other experiments as Al Ain eased the pressure.
Romeo finally found the net when a stinging shot from the top of the box went in off Moataz. It was the first game for most of Al Ain's main players, who were away on duty with the UAE national teams and Metsu had a good look to plan his strategy for the future games.
Results
Al Ain 3 Al Dhafra 1
Al Ittihad 2 Al Nasr 1
Al Jazira 1 Al Shabab 0
Al Shaab 1 Diba 0
