Al Jazira bask in glory of much-needed silverware with ADIB Cup title win
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
Al Jazira have added a morale-boosting ADIB Cup to their silverware cupboard after a tro-hy drought over the past few seasons. They played out of character and beat strong favourites Shabab Al Ahli 2-1 at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Saturday.
Having appointed former Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta at the start of the season after Al Jazira finished eighth in the ADNOC Pro League, the 2021 champions are currently better off in sixth with five matches to go. Shabab Al Ahli are runaway leaders in the league while also contesting for the President's Cup final on May 9 where they will meet Sharjah, the conquerors of Al Jazira, in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, the plaudits have been pouring in and leading the way is Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Chairman of the UAE Football Association, who congratulated His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of Al Jazira Club, and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Honorary President of Al Jazira Club. He also praised the efforts of the technical staff, the performance of the players and the support of the fans.
Wishing the team more success in the near future, the UAEFA chairman emphasised that Al Jazira have been an important contributor of talented players to the national team, and that its success enhances the strength of Emirati football at home and in international tournaments.
The League Cup title, sponsored for a third year by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, was won even with Al Jazira missing key players, which has raised the stock of manager Ammouta, so much so that there are talks of the Iraqi national team approaching the Moroccan to take over. Al Jazira released a statement on Saturday to dismiss the 'rumours'.
'The ADIB Cup was the only title we could win this season and I'm very glad we did it,' Ammouta said. 'It was a great effort from my players. We created the first scoring chance on 12 minutes and scored off the second opportunity. We focused on the important things on the pitch and, above all, the players never gave up on their bid to win this title.'
Incidentally, with this victory, Al Jazira have avenged the loss by the same margin when they met Shabab Al Ahli in the final of the same competition in the 2013-2014 season.
'We haven't had success since last winning the Pro League [in 2021] and we celebrate now with the players as well as the management. Of course, it's a joyous moment and hopefully we'll now look at improving our position in the Pro League table,' the Morrocan told Telecom Asia Sport.
This ADIB Cup final marked the sixth final between Shabab Al Ahli and Al Jazira in various competitions. In the head to head, Shabab Al Ahli have won 3, while Al Jazira won 2.
Al Jazira have now a 50% win-loss record in the finals of the tournament's history. Al Jazira had lost the League Cup title after reaching the final match twice, the first time against Ajman (1-2) in the 2012-2013 season, and again to Shabab Al Ahli the season after that.
Al Jazira beat Al Ain in the quarter-finals on penalties (4-2), then Al Jazira overcame Al Wasl in the semi-finals, after losing the first leg by one goal to none, and took the second leg (3-1).
'We entered the match with many influential absences,' Ammouta said, 'but my confidence in the players was great and they were up to expectations. They executed the requirements precisely. We knew the strength of Shabab Al Ahli and worked on them until we achieved victory and won the precious title.'
Kebano, who scored the match-winner in the 55th minute, said: 'I am very happy with my first title with Al Jazira. It is a great achievement and a crowning achievement for the players' efforts.'
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