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UAE teams keep their AFC dreams alive

Al Ain strengthened their chance of qualifying to the next stage of the AFC Champions League Competition following their victory over Hangzhou Green Town of China in the 4th Round, which was played last night at Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Stadium. Midfielder Omar Abdul Rahman scored the all-important goal in the 60thminute after receiving a perfect past on the left flank by teammate Rami Yaslam, Omar took the ball forward before launching a strong left-footer to beat the goalie and hit the back of the net.

With this victory, Al Ain has raised its tally to four points, the same balance collected by the Chinese side, but Al Ain are classified in 3rd position after winning in their head-to head-match against Hanghzou.

The two teams demonstrated poor displays in the first session with the visiting squad relying heavily on defensive tactics. Neither squad managed to create real chances before the break, with hosts Al Ain squandering a sitter that came their way in the last minute.

Al Ain continued to control the game in the second session giving the visiting team a hard time. They created a number of scoring chances, but failed to convert. Their defender Musallam Fayez came close to putting his team into the lead, but his close-range header flew over the cross bar. AlAin were forced to try and find the back of the net with long shots due to the solid defensive ways applied by the visitors. After conceding the goal, Hangzhou intensified their raids looking for the equalizer, but Al Ain's defense stood solid to take victory.

In the second match of the night Emirates got the better of Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia, beating them 2-1 at their stadium. The win raises Emirates tally to 6 points, putting them into second place in their Group. They are currently 4 points behind leaders Zob Han of Iran who defeated Al Rayan of Qatar last night. Al Shabab are in third place with 5 points and Al Rayyan are at the bottom of the table with a single point.

Al Haj Bogsh scored both goals for Emirates in the 26th and 40th minutes, while Abdul Aziz Al Saaran netted the  lone goal for Al Shabab two minutes before the break. Both Al Al Saaran of Al Shabab and Mustafa Kareem of Emirates were shown a red card due to bad conduct during the match.