Al Ain Boss Ittihad and march into AFC Champions League semis

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  • Making their mark: Al Ain players celebrate Asamoah Gyan's 12th goal of the ACL campaign.

    Al Ain’s nine-year wait to reach the AFC Champions League semi-finals is at an end, after they cast aside their awful record in Saudi Arabia to race to a 5-1 aggregate victory against Al Ittihad.

    The 2003 winners secured an impressive 3-1 triumph at the empty King Abdul Aziz Stadium, ending a seven-game losing streak in Saudi Arabia in style and sending a signal of intent to upcoming opponents Al Hilal.

    Dalic’s young side, brimming with brio and power, continued their dominance from the quarter-final, first leg last week.

    A succession of chances were wasted in the opening 20 minutes, before they had to show resolve after the unfortunate Ismail Ahmed slid the ball into his own net past the half-hour mark.

    All hope of a comeback from the hosts was ended by an instant riposte from Asamoah Gyan, the striker producing his 12th goal of the competition with a measured low finish after expertly trapping a chipped pass from the outstanding Miroslav Stoch.

    Omar Abdulrahman then controversially ruled out any distant prospect of a comeback from the hosts after the break, slamming in from a clearly offside position following a punt from goalkeeper Khalid Essa.

    Substitute Ibrahim Diaky sealed the win by striking home against deflated opponents, playing without the support of their own fans following a ban for disruption in the round of 16, after more unselfish play from Stoch.

    The result saw Al Ain become the first UAE side to make the last four since Al Wahda in 2007, with Dalic’s irrepressible players looking a team to be feared in the games to come.

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