Al Wasl bring cup confidence into Al Ahli test

Al Wasl have found plenty of ways to score during the international break. Across three ADIB Cup victories, eight different players contributed to their nine goals, with strikers, midfielders and defenders all involved. For Rui Vitória, preparing to welcome Al Ahli to Zabeel Stadium on Monday, that spread offers something useful beyond the satisfaction of a winning run. His team have been finding answers through more than one player.

The next question is whether those answers will work against the club that has won the past two Asian titles. Monday’s AFC Champions League Elite meeting kicks off at 8pm UAE time, with both sides seeking their first victory in this season’s competition. Al Wasl lost their opening match 2 to 1 at Al Qadsiah, while Al Ahli needed an equaliser in added time to draw with Pakhtakor. A good domestic week has given each side encouragement, but neither has yet earned much comfort in Asia.

Al Wasl’s latest cup win came at Khorfakkan on Thursday, and required considerable patience. Despite having 71.9 per cent of possession, they fell behind to Haliru Sarki in the 57th minute and were still chasing the game with a quarter of an hour remaining. Mehdi Taremi headed them level in the 77th minute before Soufiane Bouftini scored the winner in the third minute of added time.

There is value in recovering like that, particularly away from home. There is also a limit to how often a team will want to depend on it. Al Wasl controlled the ball for much of the evening but left themselves a narrow window in which to turn that control into three points. Against Al Ahli, falling behind could make every forward run more costly, because the players left covering the space will have a much more dangerous attack to consider.

The win over Kalba earlier this month showed a different route through a difficult opening. After a goalless first half, Al Wasl scored twice within seven minutes of the restart. Renato Junior finished a move supplied by Sergio Pereira, then Brahian Palacios doubled the lead from Siaka Sidibe’s pass. Leandro Spadacio and Matheus Saldanha added the later goals in a 4 to 0 victory, with Pereira supplying two assists.

That performance gives Vitória a useful reference for Monday. The opening goal came from a counterattack, so Al Wasl have recent evidence that they can create an opportunity without first establishing a long spell of possession. They will need to recognise those moments against a visiting side with its own ambitions to dictate play. Moving the ball forward quickly will be most useful when teammates are close enough to support the attack and offer an alternative if the first pass is blocked.

The variety extends to the players arriving from deeper positions. In the opening cup victory against Al Ain, Taremi’s penalty began the recovery from two goals down before Sidibe equalised and Adryelson headed the winner from Pedro Malheiro’s corner. Bouftini’s decisive contribution at Khorfakkan means two defenders have supplied winning goals during this run. Al Ahli will have more than Taremi to account for when Al Wasl bring players into the penalty area.

The visitors, though, have arrived at this fixture with a result that deserves equal attention. They beat Al Fateh 4 to 0 on Friday, with Francisco Trincão scoring twice before Ivan Toney and Ziyad Al Johani added the other goals. Toney’s strike took him to 11 league goals this season. He has scored seven times across his past four Saudi Pro League appearances, a run that gives Al Wasl’s defence an immediate and demanding point of focus.

Trincão’s contribution matters alongside those numbers. His goals against Al Fateh came in the 31st and 50th minutes, establishing the lead before Toney scored. A defensive plan that becomes entirely occupied with the English striker risks allowing someone else to decide the game. Al Wasl need to keep enough attention on the players supplying and joining him, particularly when an attack develops beyond the first challenge.

Marino Pusic is still early in his time as Al Ahli coach, having been appointed in August after managing Al Jazira last season. He succeeded Matthias Jaissle, who delivered those consecutive Asian titles. The new coach knows UAE football, while his players know how to keep a continental match alive: against Pakhtakor, Feras Al Brikan rescued a point in the third minute of added time after Flamarion had put the visitors ahead in the 85th.

That late equaliser is a warning for a home side encouraged by late goals of its own. At Sunday’s press conference, Vitória emphasised the need for concentration throughout the match. He also explained why the break had helped: the three cup games had allowed players who had featured less often to receive opportunities, although the absence of his UAE internationals had limited the work he could do with the whole squad.

Taremi, speaking alongside his coach, said Al Wasl would approach the match differently from their domestic games. The choices will become clearer when the teams are named, but the recent results give Vitória several credible ways to adjust the attack. What they have not yet provided is a continental point.

With an away match against Al Nassr next on their Asian schedule on October 26, Al Wasl have good reason to make this home opportunity count. Their cup run has shown persistence, attacking variety and a willingness to keep searching when a match turns against them. Monday offers the chance to put those qualities to work earlier and more securely, against opponents who have made a habit of staying competitive until the very end.