Fujairah’s other Argentine, Danilo Carando, came to the fore in the promotion play-offs as the Wolves began life minus Diego Maradona with a 2-1, first-leg triumph against Hatta.
The Arabian Gulf League’s bottom two – Emirates Club and Hatta – are battling the First Division League’s third and fourth-placed finishers – Fujairah and Al Hamriyah – to join the expanded, 14-team 2018/19 top flight.
After an up-and-down week which saw joint FIFA Player of the 20th Century Maradona’s attachment fluctuate before Saturday’s definitive hiring of replacement coach Dr Abdullah Mesfer, the Wolves players remained concentrated on the pitch.
Forward Carando, 29, struck a low opener at Fujairah Stadium on Wednesday from 20 yards on four minutes. Brazilian midfielder Fernando Gabriel then found the bottom corner on 55 minutes to level up, before Carando headed in an 81st-minute winner.
Meanwhile, Emirates will travel to Sharjah’s Al Hamriyah Stadium with a slender 1-0 advantage.
Prolific Argentine striker Sebastian Saez, 33, rounded goalkeeper Waleed Al Ghafri to convert into an open net on 22 minutes.
All four teams meet again on Sunday.