Football: Stalemates for Al Ahli, Al Ain

Al Taawun's goalkeeper Fahad Al Shammari collects the ball in front of AlAhli's Makhete Diop.

Al Ain captain Omar Abdulrahman said that they will make a fist of it to qualify for the next stage of the AFC Champions League, despite being held to a stalemate by Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli.
The Boss, champions in the inaugural edition in 2003 and runners-up in 2005 and 2016, played out a 2-2 draw at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Al Ain are second in Group C with five points, after a win and two draws.
The Garden City club had begun their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Iran's Zobahan FC at home, at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, after which they went on to beat Uzbekistan's FC Bunyodkor 3-2 away in Tashkent.
There are still three fixtures remaining - at home to Al Ahli on April 11, away to Zobahan FC on April 24, and the final group match at home to FC Bunyodkor on May 8.
And although Omar cautioned that it won't be easy, the playmaker said that they have the ability to do better in the coming matches.
"Our next aim is to qualify for the Round of 16. It is tighly bunched on the points table and it won't be easy. But we believe that we can put in better performances and clinch one of the two spots from the group," said Omar.
"There are some errors that accompany every game but we must work to correct them. Personally, I think we have the ability to emerge with better results. I'm sure and confident that we will achieve stronger results in the coming matches," he added.
Meanwhile, last year's runners-up Dubai's Al Ahli endured a goalless stalemate, against another Saudi Arabian side, tournament debutants Al Taawoun.
james@khaleejtimes.com