Al Ain: Al Ain made hard work of their opening FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 match, digging deep to come back from three goals down to defeat Team Wellington on penalties.
They will need to play at a higher level against Esperance in the quarter-final on Saturday if they are to continue their run.
Zoran Mamic’s side may have narrowly avoided an early exit but the match took a major physical and mental toll on the Al Ain players, who after 120 minutes of action must regroup with just three days’ rest.
Back at their Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain host the champions of Africa with a spot in the semi-final against Copa Libertadores winners River Plate awaiting the winners.
AL AIN
While Al Ain’s spirit was widely praised after the first game, their defending was, and is, a major cause for concern.
Their backline has looked particularly porous in recent weeks and with Esperance possessing significantly more attacking quality than semi-pro Wellington, it is an issue that urgently needs addressing.
Mamic also needs to think about plugging the hole left by Mohamed Abdulrahman’s suspension, though he is expected to welcome top scorer Marcus Berg back into the starting line-up after a fever kept him on the bench against Wellington.
ICYMI: A goal-laden #ClubWC opener between @alainfcae_en & @TeamWelly ended with the host team progressing to the second round after a penalty shoot-outpic.twitter.com/1YA62mnSTs
— #ClubWC (@FIFAcom) December 13, 2018
Berg and his teammates were cheered on by a 15,000 strong Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday; with two quarter-finals taking place at the ground on Saturday, an even more substantial crowd is expected.
Surprisingly, the match will be only the second time a FIFA Club World Cup host has faced African opposition in the competition’s 14-year history. Kashima Antlers beat South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2016 quarter-final and it is a blueprint that Al Ain will be hoping they can follow.
ESPERANCE
This will be Esperance’s second tilt at the FIFA Club World Cup having previously competed in 2011.
In that tournament they also came up against Gulf opposition in the quarter-final but had an afternoon to forget against Qatari side Al Sadd, losing 2-1.
In the next game they suffered another defeat, throwing away a 1-0 lead against Mexico’s Monterrey.
Only five players from the class of 2011 remain at Esperance - goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifa, defenders Khalil Chemmam and Sameh Derbali, and midfielder Kiko Mouelhi. They will be out to put the experience of seven years ago firmly behind them and claim a first FIFA Club World Cup victory.
African sides have twice reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup but a CAF Champions League winner is yet to lift the trophy.
In 2010 unfancied TP Mazembe – who had been knocked out in their opening game the previous year - stunned Brazilian giants Internacional before succumbing to Inter Milan in the final. And in 2013, Moroccans Raja Casablanca made it all the way to the final, losing to Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.
In recent years, African champions have failed to impress – with the continent’s representatives failing to win a match in their last seven attempts stretching back to 2014.
Hopes are high, however, that Esperance can buck the trend. They have a young manager in Moïne Chaâbani, who has had an immediate impact on the team.
The Tunisians secured the CAF Champions League trophy last month in dramatic style - Anice Badri's 86th-minute goal in the second leg securing a memorable victory over long-time continental rivals Al Ahly.
Badri, who played twice for Tunisia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was top scorer as Esperance won the CAF Champions League and will be his side’s main danger going forward in the UAE.
FIXTURE
Quarter-final
Saturday
Al Ain v Esperance
Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, 20:30 (Local time)
Photos: FIFA via Getty Images
Source: the-afc.com