AFC Player of the Year nominee Omar Abdulrahman chose to forgo the press conference ahead of the awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and with good reason.

Following their heartbreaking defeat in the AFC Champions League final to Hyundai Jeonbuk FC, the Emirati star guided Al Ain back from the depths of despair by scoring the winner away to Al Dhafra in the Arabian Gulf League.

Zlatko Dalic’s team looked deflated after the hosts opened the scoring early on with Hermach Adil dispatching his effort inside the first three minutes to hold the advantage going into the break.

However, the Boss rallied in the second period with Ahmed Ismail leading the charge. The 33-year-old defender struck just eight minutes after the restart to level the score and set up a comeback.

The visitors went on the hunt for a winner and were awarded a penalty with ten minutes to play. Abdulrahman stepped up and made no mistake from the spot to secure all three points for Al Ain.

The AFC Champions League runners-up currently sit in fifth place in the standings with 16 points but have three games in hand over leaders Al Wasl FC.