There was nothing to worry about after all, for Al Ain.
A summer which contained poor warm-up results, landmark exits and underwhelming performances from their replacements came to an end at the right time, fresh face Emmanuel Emenike scoring twice to help put Al Nasr to the sword with a 4-2 season-opening Arabian Gulf Super Cup-victory.
This was an exhibition of continued strength from the Arabian Gulf League champions ahead of their defence beginning – Gulf Cup farrago permitting – next Friday against Al Dhafra. Their opponents enjoyed Arabian Gulf Cup and President’s Cup triumphs last term and have recruited well, yet they were distinctly second best to the Boss at a sweltering and half-full Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
On Saturday’s evidence, Al Ain will take some beating once again in 2015/16.
تشكيلة العين أمام النصر.. Starting List of Al Ain VS Al Nasr pic.twitter.com/V5edqdaYem
— Al Ain FC (@alainfcae) August 15, 2015
Huge expectation rests on Emenike’s shoulders. He has been chosen to replace a legend, striker Asamoah Gyan being sold to Shanghai SIPG for €20 million (Dh81m) last month after 95 top-flight goals in 83 appearances plus five pieces of silverware in four glorious years.
The Fenerbahce loanee’s brace will boost confidence after five goalless friendly run-outs. That fellow new Ryan Babel selflessly created the first only added to the poignancy, although the Netherlands winger soon faded from view.
But defeat – however heavy – should not equal doom and gloom for a Nasr team who threatened victory at the start of the second half and could still transform cup success into a long-awaited title push.
Winger Jonathan Pitroipa was electric in spells on his return to the ground in which he played for Al Jazira last term, the decision to take advantage of playmaker Luis Jimenez’s expired Al Ahli contract looked a smart one and with more support Brazil striker Nilmar should fill in ably for AWOL Ibrahima Toure.
This year’s Super Cup appeared in a state of flux in the build-up, being switched from the smaller Bani Yas Stadium and the date of play being placed in doubt as Gulf Cup 23 hosts Kuwait continue to debate the decision to postpone the tournament’s holding by one year to December 2016.
Al Ain exerted control from the off in the first fixture encrypted by broadcasters Abu Dhabi Sports, a Dh19-per-month subscription now being required to watch domestic football.
Emenike’s early goal exhibited the UAE’s most-successful club at their vintage best. Attacking spark Omar Abdulrahman spotted the diligent Lee Myung-joo in space out wide, his low centre seeing Babel pivot superbly before selflessly playing in the Nigeria centre forward to sweep home as the linesman’s flag stayed down for a potential offside.
Questions were being answered positively about Zlatko Dalic’s recruits. The centre midfield partnership between Brazilian arrival Fellipe Bastos and Lee looked solid, the former also forcing two punishing saves from distance by goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh.
For all their control, few chances had been created in a sterile first 45 minutes. This state of affairs was punished soon after the break.
Nasr possess remarkable fighting spirit under Jovanovic and this tenacity saw his side level.
Right-back Ahmed Al Yassi forced Mohammed Fayez into a poor clearance, onrushing 23-year-old winger Jamal Maroof – freshly recalled from a temporary spell at Emirates Club – sidefooting superbly into the roof of the net unopposed from 12 yards.
It is all square in the #AGSuperCup, #alainfc being caught cold after the break as Maroof fires in for @ALNasrSC on 50 mins @Sport360
— Matt Monaghan (@mattmonaghan360) August 15, 2015
Champion sides do not crumple and Al Ain exhibited this with a ruthless response from 67 minutes. Mohammed Fayez’s strike to make it 2-1 was sublime, a wonderful one-two between substitute Mohamed Abdulrahman and Bastos seeing the Brazilian deliver a perfectly-measured first-time pass which the left-back rocketed home from inside the box.
Two minutes later and the contest was over. A deep and opportunistic cross from Bastos saw keeper Shambieh and centre-back Essam Dhahi collide, the grateful Emenike nodding his second into an embarrassingly-open goal.
Further gloss came with 10 minutes remaining, towering UAE centre-back Ismail Ahmed powerfully heading home Omar Abdulrahman’s corner.
The muted celebrations when Blue Wave replacement Rashed Mohammad Omar followed in his header from a corner to add respectability in injury time showed the much was long over by then. Al Ain had already laid a daunting marker for the chasing pack.
العين يتغلب على النصر بنتيجة 4 – 2 ويتوج بلقب #كأس_سوبر_الخليج_العربي. #نادي_العين pic.twitter.com/Z6g9nIr2LW
— Al Ain FC (@alainfcae) August 15, 2015
