He played 3 finals ... and ascended to the throne of the continent once in 2003
Al Ain inaugurates its preparations for the 16th historic Asian participation
Al Ain lost to Al Nassr in their last match before the Asian debut.
= Emirates today
Jumaa Khater: "Currently it is impossible to demand that players achieve the title."
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The Al Ain team, the day before yesterday, launched its preparations for the upcoming confrontation in the AFC Champions League against Foolad Khuzestan, scheduled for 7:50 pm next Saturday, Abu Dhabi time, at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh, within the preliminary round qualifying for the role The groups, which is the tournament in which he participates for the 16th time with its new system, in order to fulfill the dream that has been haunting him for years, by embracing the Asian title for the second time in its history.
It is the third time in the history of the "leader" that the competition starts from the preliminary round after the last version, when he faced Bunyodkor the Uzbek and won with a clean goal, while the first participation goes back to the 2018 edition when he faced the Bahraini Malikis and qualified at his expense with two clean goals.
Historically, Al Ain has a remarkable record that surpasses all local clubs, as it is the only team that won the continental championship, and that was in the first version of the competition with its new name in 2003, thus entering the records of the AFC as the holder of the first version of the modern system, and he wrote to him. Reaching the final match in two versions in 2005 when he lost to Al-Ittihad, and in 2016, he lost to Jeonbuk, South Korea.
In 2014, Al Ain was close to reaching the final, but was bid farewell by Al Hilal Saudi Arabia with a score of 2-4 in the aggregate of the two matches, and in the 2004, 2006 and 2017 editions, he reached the quarter-finals, while in 2015 and 2018 he reached the round of 16, while he failed to pass the group stage. In 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019 and 2020.
Before next Saturday's match, Al-Zaeem played 118 games in his 15 continental appearances, and won 47 matches, while tied in 35 occasions, while he lost 36 confrontations, and his players scored 177 goals, and his net was conceded 153 goals, a statistic that confirms the reason behind the superiority of «Violet» When it is coupled with external participation.
"Al-Zaeem" scored a record at home, beating most local clubs by not losing for two years and three consecutive months. Since losing in February 2016 from the Qatari army 1-2, he remained defiant to all visiting teams, before losing in Al-Duhail in May, with a score of 2-4 in the semi-finals.
Historically, Al Ain is one of the most prominent clubs in West Asia, as he has only missed participating in the Asian champions during the last 10 years in 2012, and since then imposed his permanent presence as the most prominent representatives of Emirati football in the continental championship.
Al Ain in the 2016 edition was very perfect and close to the Asian title, when it achieved great victories, but lost the title match against the South Korean team Jeonbuk Hyundai, who beat the first leg 2-1, and went 1-1 in the second leg, at Hazaa Bin Zayed Stadium, The dream of crowning the second Asian title becomes suspended until further notice.
For his part, former Al-Ain player, Jumah Khater, who participated in the coronation of the Asian title in 2003, said that he “is optimistic about the team’s ability to skip the preliminary round and provide a good level in the group league,” stressing that it is impossible to demand the players now to achieve the title, but from The important thing is that the team is satisfied, at the very least, by reaching the quarter-finals stage.
He told "Emirates Today": "The circumstances in the current version are very different from the previous one. It is true in the past that the team did not appear in the league championship at a good level, and compensates for that in the Asian participation, but this time the tools are very different, and it is impossible to ask the players." To achieve the title due to the tools, although the team is currently going through a phase of improvement ».
He added: "The team is currently improving and the shocks it received helped discover young players who are currently performing well. For me, the ball is currently in the players' court to play their full role, to achieve the best results in the Asian battlefield, and I am optimistic about the team's ability to skip the preliminary."
Al Ain Numbers in the «Asian Champions»
He played 118 games
He won 47
Equivalent to 35
He lost 36
Record 177
Received 153
2003 Hero
2005 and 2016 runner-up
2014 semi-final
2004, 2006 and 2007 quarter-finals
2015 and 2018 round of 16
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