Al Jazira qualified for the quarter-finals of the UAE President’s Cup after beating Ajman 1-0 at the Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium in their round-of-16 match.
‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ faced difficaulty in penetrating Ajman’s defense, which appeared with a tight defensive organization and succeeded in limiting the danger of the home team, keeping their net clean throughout most of the match.
As the match drew to a close, Al Jazira managed to break through the visitors’ defensive block, after Bono de Oliveira led an organized attack in which he exchanged passes with his teammate Vinicius Melo in a ‘one-two’ fashion, before concluding it with a successful shot into the net in the 78th minute.
Meanwhile, Al Wasl secured their place in the quarter-finals of the UAE President’s Cup after defeating Ittihad Kalba 4-3 on penalties. The match, played on Thursday, ended 2-2 after both regulation and extra time.
The first half ended with Al Wasl leading 1-0 thanks to a goal by Nicolas Jimenez in the sixth minute of stoppage time. He made a brilliant individual run, beating two Ittihad Kalba defenders before slotting the ball into the net.
Kalba Union returned to the game in the 52nd minute when Saman Qaddous sent a through ball from his own half. It bypassed Al Wasl’s defense and put Carlos Filho one-on-one with goalkeeper Dinko Horkas. Filho then skillfully rounded him and equalized.
In the first period of extra time, Ittihad Kalba managed to turn the game around in their favor. This came after Marwan Al Watani scored the second goal in the 101st minute, capitalizing on a misunderstanding between Al Wasl’s goalkeeper and his defense.
Al Wasl refused to give up, and their defender Sofiane Bouftini brought his team back into the game. He scored the equalizer in the 111th minute with a header, forcing the match into a penalty shootout to determine who would advance.
Al Wasl emerged victorious 4-3 in a penalty shootout, thanks to a crucial performance from goalkeeper Dinko Horkas, who saved two penalties. His heroics propelled the ‘Emperor’ to the quarterfinals, preventing a repeat of last season’s early exit from the tournament.
The action continues on Friday with two important fixtures slated for the day. Fujairah face Al Wahda and Al Nasr meet Bani Yas.
Fujairah and Al Wahda match will get under way at 4:55pm while Al Nasr meet Bani Yas in 8pm kick-off.
Al Wahda are coming into match on the back of 3-2 win against Khorfakkan. Their morale is high and they will look to carry the winning momentum into the tourney.
Al Wahda coach Preicles Chamusca predicted a tough game against Fujairah, who are not playing in the top flight in the league.
‘We respect Fujairah and know that this will be a difficult match, especially on their home ground and in front of their fans. President’s Cup matches demands full focus and discipline. Our goal is to win the match and progress to the next round,’ said the Al Wahda coach.
Al Wahda player Abdullah Hamad Al Menhali said: ‘We know how important is the match? We need to be fully prepared and focus right from the beginning to the end. We believe in our ability and team spirit. Our goal is to qualify for the next round.’
Fujairah coach Bulazo Bulatovic said: ‘We have deep respect for Al Wahda and we know this is going to be a difficult match for us. We want to play with courage and show our character on the pitch.
‘Playing at home gives us extra boost and we hope our fans will turn out in huge number to support us,’ he added.
Fujairah player Sander Bin Beshir said: ‘This is a very important and big game. We believe we have every chance of getting a positive result. Playing at home gives us extra advantage.’
Al Nasr coach Milos Milojevic said: ‘This is a very important match for us as the President’s Cup is one of the most prestigious competitions. We are facing a strong team but if we play with focus and strong motivation then we can achieve a positive result. We have every chance of making it to the next round.’
Bani Yas coach Hassan Al Abdouli said: ‘We are going into the match with a big ambition and a strong desire to win. In the big matches, names do not decide the result it is the hard work and team spirit which decides the result,’ he added.