MADINAT ZAYED // Al Dhafra were one minute away from the final of the League Cup on Saturday before gifting an equaliser to Al Jazira and then losing the penalty shoot-out.
The home side twice led and twice allowed Jazira to fight back, the second equaliser coming in the ninth of 10 added minutes after a serious injury to Dhafra’s goalkeeper Mohammed Ghuloom.
His replacement, Abdulla Sultan, was to blame for both of Jazira’s goals.
First, he allowed a 30-yard effort from Abdullah Mousa to fly past him, which made it 1-1 in the 66th minute at the Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium.
Then, with Jazira piling forward in injury time, his weak punch fell to Abdelaziz Barrada and the Moroccan lobbed the ball back over the keeper’s head to break Dhafra hearts.
In fitting with the game, Jazira’s stopper, Ali Kasheif, then became the hero, saving twice in the shoot-out to book his side’s place in the April 19 League Cup final.
“Sultan wasn’t mentally prepared for this game but I am not blaming any player for the defeat,” said Abdulla Misfir, the Dhafra coach.
“We made a few mistakes to allow Jazira to come back in to the game. This team has more quality and experience than what we have at Dhafra. If I had the same squad I would have won both, the league and the cup.”
The referee Yaqoub Al Hammadi allotted 10 minutes extra time after Ghuloom required on-field treatment for an ankle injury in the 51st minute, holding up the game for nearly six minutes. The keeper eventually left the field after playing for 10 more minutes and was replaced by Sultan.
At that stage it was 1-0 to the home side after Rogerio’s 10th-minute opener.
Musallem Fayez missed a clearance and the Brazilian was quick to capitalise, taking the ball inside the box before firing past Kasheif.
After Moussa’s equaliser, Makhete Diop headed home a cross from Bander Al Ahbabi to make it 2-1 for Dhafra.
But his efforts went in vain as the added time and his keeper’s jitters allowed Barrada to strike at the death.
Jazira were playing their second game in four days and will travel to Tehran tonight for Tuesday's meeting with Esteghlal in the Asian Champions League (ACL).
They then return to the Arabian Gulf League for a derby match against city rivals Al Wahda on March 22 and play Al Nasr five days later.
Walter Zenga, the Jazira coach, said his players were “tired” but showed strong character.
"We knew it was a very difficult game for us as we returned from a tough game in Saudi Arabia [defeating Al Shabab 3-1 in the ACL]," he said.
“The positive thing is that the team never gave up. They continued to find a way to win this game. I must congratulate them for their courage and strong mentality.
“The players will now have to pick up their bags to leave for Tehran.
“I wish I had the power to change the schedule because I know how the players are feeling. It is not physical but mental and the mental fatigue is different.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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