Al-Ain Secures Spot in Professional Cup Final After Narrow Victory

Al Ain secured their spot in the ADIB Cup final despite losing 2-0 to Al Nasr at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Their commanding 3-0 first-leg victory was enough to see them through on aggregate, highlighting how crucial away performances can be in two-legged knockout competitions.

Al Nasr started perfectly when Bernard Mensah fired home a long-range shot that goalkeeper Khalid Eisa couldn't handle in the 5th minute. Many expected Al Nasr to keep up this momentum, but they inexplicably dropped their intensity, giving Al Ain time to regroup.

The visitors created several good chances in the first half. Laba Kodjo missed the best opportunity when he found himself one-on-one with the keeper but placed his shot wide of the post. Defender Rami Rabiea also wasted a clear header from a corner kick that sailed over the crossbar, while Hussein Rahimi fired another chance into the stands when well-positioned in front of goal.

Al Nasr goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh suffered a neck injury during the match and was replaced by substitute Abdullah Al Tamimi.

The second half saw Al Nasr regain their sharpness and force Al Ain back. This prompted Al Ain coach Vladimir Iveitic to bring on Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi to try and grab a crucial away goal that would make Al Nasr's task even harder.

Rahimi nearly delivered what his coach wanted, breaking through on goal only to see the Al Nasr keeper make a brilliant save to deny him.

Al Nasr grabbed their second goal in the 65th minute through a perfect cross from Zayed Al Zaabi that Ramon Mierez converted at the back post. This goal lifted Al Nasr's spirits as they realized they were now just one goal away from leveling the tie on aggregate.

Al Nasr kept pressing Khalid Eisa's goal, but Al Ain's defense produced their best performance of the night when it mattered most. They cleared away every dangerous attempt to preserve their aggregate lead and book their place in the final.