AL NASR 1 AL AIN 0
Al Nasr - Toure 74'
Man of the match - Ibrahima Toure (Al Nasr)
DUBAI // If Al Ain's dethroning has been a painstaking process stretching as far back as early summer, then it appears to be gathering pace.
The Garden City club, having reigned long over UAE football, resemble a pale imitation of the side who collected the past two Arabian Gulf League titles, and their gradual unravelling produced another turgid performance against Al Nasr on Friday night.
Arriving at Al Maktoum Stadium with a solitary victory in five league encounters, Al Ain saw the slump swell further, departing their latest locale another few rungs down the Arabian Gulf League ladder.
A 1-0 defeat, courtesy of Ibrahima Toure’s second-half header, ensured Nasr and Al Dhafra are now perched above Al Ain in the table, dropping the champions into eighth place. To reinforce their sharp fall from grace, Al Ain are only two points closer to the division’s summit than they are to the relegation zone.
Where to from here?
“We have to accept this is our destiny in the league,” said a frustrated Quique Sanchez Flores, the Al Ain coach. “We’re waiting for the Asian Champions League to begin next week, because we have to close the idea of doing something in the league. Because, in this competition, this year is a transition year for Al Ain.”
It is difficult not to sympathise with Sanchez Flores. The Spaniard has fought an uphill battle since last September, when he agreed to take over a struggling club. Al Ain had lost Cosmin Olaroiu, the manager who masterminded those two title triumphs, to rivals Al Ahli last July. Jorge Fossati, Olaroiu's replacement, lasted only 79 days.
By then, the damage had been done, as a disrupted pre-season left a disorganised squad playing catch-up. Sanchez Flores came into a club low on training time and, consequently, match fitness. The frustration was perhaps personified here by Mirel Radoi’s straight red late on for thrusting an elbow into the face of Ali Al Hussein, the Nasr substitute.
“It’s not easy, because in football nothing is easy,” Sanchez Flores said. “But when I came, I had the sensation that we had the opportunity to make something in this competition, although that is not the reality.
“It’s very difficult to change the dynamic this year. I don’t like to, but I have to accept that it’s very difficult to recuperate a good feeling in this competition. The players are playing with a lot of pressure.
“I am the first responsible for the league, for sure. “Trust me, I accept this is not the way for Al Ain. For sure, in the future we will change the circumstances.”
For Sanchez Flores’s opposite number, Ivan Jovanovic, the securing of three more points seemed just as welcome.
“What was important was the win,” said the Nasr coach, in reference to the largely forgettable fare that had gone before.
“But when you come from bad results, you need the result more than the performance.”
Following another night to forget, Al Ain could do with both.
AL DHAFRA 3 AL WASL 1
Makhete Diop scored two penalties and Jose Rogerio also got a goal as surging Al Dhafra overpowered visitors Al Wasl. Abdullah Misfir's side are now on 29 points, in the upper half of the table and ahead of holders Al Ain. Wasl's slide continued, with their only consolation a late goal by Mohammed Jamal.
AL SHAAB 3 EMIRATES 3
Michael N'dri's second goal, in the 87th minute, salvaged a point for relegation-threatened Al Shaab. Mohammed Malalla also scored for the hosts. German Herrera had two goals for Emirates, the second giving them a 3-2 lead in the 84th minute. Luiz Henrique had forged a tie in the 81st minute.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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