Sparky’s Column

Al Shabab capture their first Etisalat Cup title in a thriller

 

The Etisalat Cup final turned out to be an absolute classic, a late equaliser followed by a late winner. The game looked all but over when Julio Cesar put Al Shabab 2-1 up with 4 minutes left but the game had a few more surprises up its sleeve. Jumaa Saeed equalised in added time and just as everyone was looking towards extra time Ciel popped up with the winner for Al Shabab. Al Ain were left shattered by the defeat but Al Shabab have capitalised on their recent good form to add the first piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet since they won the League title in 2008. Ciel was the star of the show and he may have done enough to earn himself a contract beyond the end of the season. He has a checkered playing history, his problems at various clubs have been well documented but he seems determined not to waste this opportunity to revive his career.

In other news, the purchase of La Liga club Getafe by a Dubai consortium has thrown up the question of Emirati players moving abroad. The obvious choice would now be a player exchange between clubs in the UAE and the Madrid-based team. The UAE's national team coach Srecko Katanec has expressed his opinion that several of his team would be able to play in Europe. He himself hails from a nation of two million inhabitants, a similar size to the UAE. The country has qualified for World Cups and European Championships on the back of players who ply their trade abroad. He says a similar approach would benefit the UAE and maybe take them a step closer to repeating their lone World Cup qualification in 1990.

The AFC Champions League group phase is coming to an end and it is looking like no Emirati team will be represented in the knock out stages. Emirates Club's defeat by a single goal to Zob Ahan of Iran means they face a difficult task to qualify. Al Ain were the last team to make an impression in the previous incarnation of the tournament but since then the competition has proved tough for UAE teams. The domestic League form is the key to the reason teams struggle. The fluctuations in a team's fortunes means that the UAE champions are often well off the pace in the League title race the following season. Al Wadha this season have skirted with relegation and changed coach. They are barely regonisable from the team that won the championship last season. If a team can't keep up their domestic form from one season to the next then they are obviously going to struggle in the Champions League. The answer to poor performance in the Champions League lies with consistency in the domestic League. When that happens then everything else should fall into place.