Cosmin deprives Al Ain of 3 titles in one season
Sharjah «lover of cups»
Sharjah celebrates being crowned League Cup champions for the first time in their history. Cinematographer: Najeeb Mohammed
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The Sharjah team, led by Romanian coach Olario Cosmin, stripped Al Ain of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup title, with a 2-1 victory, in the final match that brought them together yesterday at Al Nahyan Stadium, to get the «King» his third title this season at the expense of the leader, after he had previously been crowned at his expense with the Super Cup, and then the President's Cup.
Seven clubs have previously won the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup over the past editions, with Shabab Al Ahli leading the forefront with five titles, in addition to a sixth title for Al Shabab Club, while Al Ain, Al Nasr and Al Wahda won the title twice, and one title each for Ajman and Al Jazira.
Al Ain advanced first through defender Kwame Koidu (30), before Sharjah turned the score, scoring two goals through its stars Luan Pereira (45+3), and Caio Lucas (45+10).
Sharjah were the better side in the entire first half, helped by a set of mistakes made by Al Ain players, with a gap created by full-backs Saeed Juma and Raphael Anthony, which gave the king the advantage at the offensive level, as he was the most threatening on goal.
Although Al Ain started the match with a clear danger, and got a fixed blow from outside the box, but Bandar Al Ahbabi shot into the human wall, and turned into a corner kick «4».
The leader then disappeared, Pjanic appeared in his best form, and was able to create a sure chance to his teammate Laurent Pereira, who skipped past Said Juma and shot a ball along the left post '10'.
Caio Lucas was then able to score in a similar game, but the referee, Ahmed Salem, canceled the goal based on a signal from his assistant, because the Brazilian player was in an offside position.
Al Ain managed to have the advantage at the level of the result from a ball that the Greek defender of Sharjah Manos did not improve to keep out, so that the advanced defender Kwame shot a strong ball into the roof of the goal.
Sharjah rose up, pressing more than before, and Laurent Pereira managed to equalize at a crucial time, after a perfect cross from Marcos Vinicius, which he rose to before the Al Ain defense and turned it to the right of the goalkeeper.
Before the two teams went out into the dressing room, Pereira was awarded a penalty from a naïve mistake made by Rafael Anthony, inside the box, which Caio Lucas took the lead, and scored the breakthrough goal.
Al Ain entered the second half with an offensive rush, but collided with an iron defense by the Sharjah players, who closed all the outlets leading to their goal, amid the leader's lack of individual solutions in the absence of his most prominent striker Laba Kodjo, so the draw seemed almost difficult for the violet in the first quarter of an hour of this half.
On the other hand, defender Hassan Saleh missed a golden opportunity on Sharjah to expand the difference, from a ball received inside the box, which is free of control, to ensure the crossbar to keep it away on behalf of goalkeeper Khaled Issa «73». Al Ain's only attempt to threaten the Sharjah goal was from Sofiane Rahimi's shot, nine minutes before the end, and shook the net from the outside.