Al Ain ended a run of disappointing results in emphatic fashion by crushing Sriwijaya of Indonesia 4-0 yesterday to qualify for the group phase of the Asian Champions League (ACL).
The 2003 ACL champions and nine-time UAE top-flight winners now move into Group F in the East Asia half of the annual continental tournament and are guaranteed six matches, three of them on the other side of the continent.
Al Ain open their Champions League campaign at home to FC Seoul on March 1. The other clubs in their group are Hangzhou Greentown of China and Nagoya Grampus of Japan. Al Ain will travel to Japan to play Nagoya Grampus on March 15.
The outcome yesterday was in little doubt despite the big home crowd that came to see Sriwijaya play at Jakabaring Stadium in the Sumatran city of Palembang.
Elias Ribiero, the Brazilian forward, scored twice and Omar Abdulrahman, the UAE international midfielder, scored a goal and set up another.
Al Ain went into the game on the back of an 11-match Pro League winless streak, but their relegation fight would never have been guessed at by the way they dominated Sriwijaya, winners of Indonesia's domestic cup competition.
Abdulrahman, the diminutive playmaker, cleverly set up Haddaf al Amri for a goal into an empty net in the 14th minute.
Elias was taken down in the box in the fourth minute of added time at the end of the first half and converted the spot-kick to give Al Ain a 2-0 lead.
It was more of the same in the second half. Bobby Satria, the Sriwijaya defender, was judged to have brought down midfielder Ali al Wehaibi in the area in the 51st minute, and Abdulrahman converted the penalty.
Elias completed scoring with an emphatic goal from distance one minute later.
"I'm glad that we played well," said Alexandre Gallo, Al Ain's Brazilian coach. "Winning has been a habit in our domestic matches [over the years] but we rarely win by such a large margin. Our players did great, exactly like my instructions.
"We are ready for the group phase. I hope we'll do well."
With Al Ain through, the Pro League again has four teams in the group stages of the ACL, though the other three are playing in the West Asia half of the tournament.
* Agencies
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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