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Al Ain salvage a draw against Al Nasr

Dubai - Both teams were a bit weary after coming off their respective AFC Champions League encounters midweek.

It could have been much worse for the defending champions but Al Ain fought it out to salvage a draw against 10-man Al Nasr in the Arabian Gulf League on Sunday night.
'The Boss' were a goal down, their hold on the League title slowly slipping away from their grasp. But Al Ain benefited from the numerical advantage after Al Nasr were a man down, to eke out a 1-1 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
Captain Ibrahim Diaky, who had come on six minutes after the game had passed the hour, managed to cancel out Masoud Sulaiman Ahmed's header.
But Al Ain's second draw and their first one at their fortress, has made it tougher for the record League champions. It opened up a three-point gap against leaders Al Ahli, who defeated Al Jazira 2-1, 153.8km away in the UAE Capital, earlier in the evening.
Meanwhile, a victory would have moved Al Nasr to fourth but their sixth stalemate and fourth on the road left them in fifth with 34 points, a point behind Al Wasl.
Al Nasr would reflect what may have been had Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa not stopped Jires Kembo-Ekoko's penalty on the hour.
After Al Ahli's victory, Al Ain knew what they had to do but they ran into a tough Al Nasr side, who stood up quite adroitly to the challenge.
Both teams were a bit weary after coming off their respective AFC Champions League encounters midweek.
But Al Nasr came out of the blocks with the first foray just three minutes into the game. Jires Kembo-Ekoko, formerly with Al Ain, had a crack at goal but couldn't make it count.
Al Ain slowly found their feet and thought they had gone ahead on 22 minutes but it was ruled out after a skirmish in the goalmouth. Mohammed Abdulrahman's effort hit the woodwork and Lee Myung Joo slipped in the rebound. But Lee had fouled Masoud Sulaiman before taking the shot.
Al Nasr had a chance on 32 minutes, again through Jires Kembo-Ekoko, but the Congolese striker fired it wide after Tariq Ahmed had headed it into the box. Just after, at the other end, Douglas saw his attempt hit the woodwork.
Jires Kembo-Ekoko was proving to menacing against his former employers with the 28-year-old again having a shy. His curling corner kick dipped just about enough to draw a save from Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.
Jires Kembo-Ekoko was at it again after the restart with a fine solo before unleashing the long ranger, but Eisa managed to push it out for a corner.
And Al Nasr broke the stalemate through that corner on 52 minutes, with Masoud Sulaiman Ahmed heading it home after Mahmoud Khamis had sent it in.
A double was almost theirs after Mohamed Fayez had brought down Luiz Antonio Jimenez inside the box, on the hour. But Khalid Eisa pulled off a fine save to deny Jires Kembo-Ekoko from the spot.
A little later, Al Nasr were left to play 26 minutes with 10 men after Tariq Ahmed was sent off following a second booking.
Despite the disadvantage, Al Nasr went on the offensive and could have added another through substitute Jassim Yaqoob. But the youngster volleyed straight into Khalid Eisa's hands after a Mahmoud Khamis cross.
With the clock ticking down, Al Ain came back into the game with Ibrahim Diaky scoring the equaliser. Diaky, who had come on for Ahmed Barman and took on the captain's armband from Omar Abdulrahman, chested an Omar corner before volleying it past goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh.
It was to be a frantic final few minutes as Al Ain went in search of the winner. But Al Nasr stood firm to return to Dubai with a point.
james@khaleejtimes.com
 
Al Ain 1
(Goal: Ibrahim Diaky 83. Yellow cards: Mohammed Abdulrahman 55, Omar Abdulrahman 56, Mohamed Fayez 82, Ismail Ahmed 89)
Al Nasr 1
(Goal: Masoud Sulaiman Ahmed 52. Yellow cards: Tariq Ahmed 19, Masoud Sulaiman Ahmed 48, Khalid Jalal 58. Red card: Tariq Ahmed 64)