Al Ain banking on ‘Brazilian’ Amoory, football
DUBAI: Al Ain will look to star playmaker Omar Abdul Rahman as they bid to snatch victory from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final on Saturday.
Top-rated Abdul Rahman, known as “Amoory” will be a key man as the Emiratis strive to overcome a 2-1 deficit against South Korea’s Jeonbuk at their home stadium in UAE.
Brazilian hit man Leonardo hit a sizzling second-half double to give Jeonbuk the edge in last week’s first leg after Abdulrahman brilliantly set up Al Ain’s opener.
Leonardo said shaggy-haired Abdul Rahman, who has drawn interest from Manchester City, Barcelona and Arsenal, played with all the freedom of a Brazilian — but warned he wasn’t Al Ain’s only dangerman.
“Omar Abdul Rahman is like a Brazilian, an incredible player with great quality,” said the Jeonbuk forward, according to the Asian Football Confederation website.
“He’s performed with distinction for Al Ain and for his national team, and the fact that there are many big clubs after him is evidence enough of his ability.
“But we have to focus not only on him, Al Ain have other dangerous players who we must prepare for. As a team, I don’t believe they are very different from us in terms of the set-up and playing style, we just have to be careful.”
Expectations are high for Abdul Rahman, who will try to help Al Ain win their second Asian title and, next week is favourite to be named Asia’s player of the year at an awards show in Abu Dhabi.