Al Ain’s grasp on their Arabian Gulf League crown shows no sign of weakening.
A trip to unbeaten Al Nasr would worry most sides. Throw in top scorer Emmanuel Emenike’s injury plus winger Ryan Babel’s status as persona non grata, and you have a mixture for dropped points.
But the Boss are not most sides. Not even close.
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They first utilised years of title-winning experience to hold off a spirited start from Ivan Jovanovic’s President’s Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup holders.
Then attacking midfielder Mohamed Abdulrahman emerged from celebrated brother Omar’s shadow to produce a master class.
Omar could be crowned as the AFC Player of the Year on Saturday, yet he took second billing at Al Maktoum Stadium prior to his impudent 80th-minute assist which saw Ibrahim Diaky seal a fine 3-0 victory.
Helpless centre-back Ali Al Ameri was bamboozled to win reserve striker Saeed Al Kathiri’s penalty for the opener, a searing run and pin-point cross-field ball teeing up right-back Mohammed Fawzi to smash home one of the goals of the season with the last kick before the interval.
There was no way back for the Blue Wave, a blanket being thrown over proceedings in a sterile second half. They are an improving side, summer buy Nilmar’s inadequacies up top contributing to their status as AGL nearly men.
The suspensions of Al Ain old boy Jires Kmebo Ekoko and industrious midfielder Tariq Ahmed did not help.
But until either a proper replacement for the errant Ibrahima Toure is procured or a new attacking approach formulated, more cup joy is the limit of their ambitions.
Al Ain are the real deal, next weekend’s home clash with AFC Champions League finalists Al Ahli – who hold a 100-per-cent winning start in the top flight – truly mouthwatering.
The Boss – along with their impending opponents – possess 2015-16’s meanest defence and this solidity was needed in the early running. Home winger Jonathan Pitroipa was lively once more, forcing a fine fingertips save from new UAE No1 Khaled Essa and sparking a number of other pot shots.
Gradually, the sting was taken out of Nasr. Always a threat on the counter-attack, Mohamed Abdulrahman burst into life on 27 minutes. A delightful diagonal ball from centre-back Ismail Ahmed got him in behind, quick feet at speed proving too tempting for Al Ameri.
A long limb felled him, Al Kathiri making it two goals in two games with a low penalty after his strike in last week’s 1-1 draw with Bani Yas.
Even better was to come. Left-back Mohammed Fayez won the ball in the corner, freeing the 26-year-old to burst past midfielder Khaled Jalal.
Passes were then exchanged with his brother and Lee Myung-joo prior to a superb ball being pinged to Fawzi, whose chest control teed him up for a sweetly-struck half volley from 30 yards.
Nasr’s hearts sunk and they made no inroads after the break. There was even time for a third Boss goal, Omar Abdulrahman’s using the outside of his boot to play in substitute Ibrahim Diaky, the man he gave the armband to upon entering the fray on 71 minutes then firing in a killer third from inside the penalty area.
A desire to win and maintain the highest standards defines Zlatko Dalic’s Al Ain. Khaled Essa fought or his clean sheet, brilliantly pushing away replacement Salem Saleh close-range, injury-time effort when a consolation seemed certain.
This was another telling moment on an ominous night for the reigning champions.