Al Wahda’s favourite son Ismail Matar gets his chance to revel in President’s Cup success

Al Nasr 0-3 Al Wahda Wahda: Dzsudzsak 67', 82', Ahmed 80' Sent off: Masoud Sulaiman (Al Nasr) Man of the match: Balazs Dzsudzsak (Al Wahda) ABU DHABI // Ismail Matar took the trophy down past the Al Wahda supporters and out towards his teammates, the club’s favourite son clinging tight to the country’s most coveted cup. He was swiftly swallowed by his celebrating colleagues as they waited on the sodden Zayed Sports City pitch, smartphones in hand, flashbulbs flickering, ready to capture the moment they were crowned President’s Cup champions for 2017. It was the Abu Dhabi side’s first success in the competition for 17 years. It all felt rather fitting. Matar has more claret in his blood than any of his counterparts, a Wahda boy and then a Wahda man, finally getting his hands on the silverware that had continued to elude him. __________________________________ Read more ■ Match report: Dzsudzsak delivers as Al Wahda win President's Cup ■ Cesare Prandelli: Former Italy manager to replace Petrescu at Al Nasr ■ Fabio De Lima: Al Wasl striker on his future and playing for Brazil __________________________________ In truth, he had little impact on the final result, a 3-0 victory against Al Nasr on a thoroughly sapping night in the capital. Not that he would care, but Wahda’s persistent hero had to share the limelight on Friday night with Balazs Dzsudzsak, the winger who opened the scoring and closed it. His two goals, one a tap-in and one from distance, sandwiched Tariq Ahmed’s strike. It was all over in 15 second-half minutes. Until that point, Wahda had shaded the domestic season’s concluding fixture, giving their fans packed into the lower section of the far stand more to cheer than their rivals. Yet a first half passed with only fleeting moments of note, namely when Ahmed flashed a shot wide early on or when Sebastian Tagliabue lifted a half-volley over the Nasr crossbar from close range as he struggled to keep his body over the ball. Balazs Dzsudzsak scored twice for Al Wahda. Pawan Singh / The National Then, not long after the hour, Nasr’s Masoud Sulaiman got himself in a muddle and Wahda got themselves in front. The Emirati defender tried to contain Tagliabue as the ball broke loose in the Nasr penalty area, but in doing so, fell to the ground and thrust out his arms at the ball. The referee pointed to the spot, then produced a second yellow card to end Sulaiman’s night. So it fell to Dzsudzsak to give Wahda the lead. The Hungarian, whose spot-kick clinched the semi-final last month, needed two bites at it this time, watching as Ahmed Shambieh tipped his effort onto the post before pouncing on the kindest of rebounds and side-footing home. A man down and now a goal down, too, understandably Nasr’s heads dropped. The 2015 champions’ task grew doubly difficult on 80 minutes, when defender Mubarak Saeed lashed at substitute Khalil Ibrahim’s pull-back and only directed the cross to Ahmed. Al Wahda fans cheer on their team. Pawan Singh / The National The Wahda winger, a thorn in Nasr’s side throughout, rammed the ball into the empty net. It got even worse for Nasr two minutes later. Dzsudzsak collected the ball 35 yards from goal, advanced 10 and unleashed a dipping, swerving shot that bewitched Shambieh and nestled in the net. Dzsudzsak took off towards his team’s jubilant support, safe in the knowledge his final contribution had settled the match for Wahda. From there, the club’s fans sang and bounced and chanted, serenading their players and Javier Aguirre, their eminently likeable manager, whose future represents an almost constant source of debate. The Mexican, soaked by his players as they stormed the post-match news conference, confirmed he has offers from China and America. Al Wahda players celebrate in front of their fans. Pawan Singh / The National Likewise, his opposite number’s immediate future seems away from the UAE. As anticipated, Dan Petrescu is bowing out as Nasr manager after this defeat, the Romanian appointed midway through the season, simply the wrong fit at the wrong time. As he is wont to do, Petrescu lived and breathed every minute of the showpiece, arms flailing and temper frayed, but in the end he was undone by a couple of costly errors from his players, by a classier Wahda. It was left, then, for the capital club to see out the game, their supporters crowing a little louder, their players edging closer to a most famous of triumphs. It has been a long wait, that 2000 success against Al Wasl weighing heavily in the intervening years between then and now. Matar will understand that more than his teammates, grasping tight the trophy as he went to meet them and join the celebrations. Now, finally, the Wahda captain has his President’s Cup. jmcauley@thenational.ae Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

Al Wahda’s favourite son Ismail Matar gets his chance to revel in President’s Cup success

John McAuley reports from Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi where Al Wahda lifted the President's Cup trophy.