Al Ain lost the first leg of the Asian Champions League final in Japan on Saturday, defeated 2-1 by Yokohama F Marinos.
The 2003 champions, the only UAE club to be crowned Asian champions, had taken the lead at Yokohama International Stadium on 12 minutes, when Soufiane Rahimi robbed possession from Carlos Eduardo and raced through on goal.
The Moroccan’s effort was blocked brilliantly by Marinos goalkeeper William Popp, but Mohammed Abbas was on hand to squeeze the rebound into the goal.
The visitors thought they had doubled their lead right on the hour. Matias Palacios broke beyond the Marinos defence and his somehow squirmed through Popp’s legs, only for VAR to show the Al Ain midfielder had strayed just offside.
Either side of the incident, goalkeeper Khalid Essa made super stops to keep his side in front. First, the Al Ain captain tipped around the post Asahi Uenaka’s curled shot from the edge of the area; minutes later, Essa thwarted Takuya Kida with another acrobatic save, the ball then spinning into the air and bouncing on top of the crossbar.
Yet the Marinos eventually pulled level. On 72 minutes, Yan Matheus cut in from the left and sent a perfect cross into the Al Ain area, leaving Uenaka to head home from close range.
With five minutes remaining, the hosts snatched the win. Substitute Kouta Watanabe deflected home Ryo Miyaichi’s shot at the back post but was quickly flagged for offside. However, following a lengthy VAR review, the goal was allowed.
Contesting their first Champions League final, the Marinos will take a slender lead to Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on May 25.
Al Ain train for ACL final first leg - in pictures
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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