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UAE's Al Ain FC enter AFC semifinals

Abu Dhabi - Caio Fernandes' first-half strike was enough to clinch an away win

Al Ain FC sealed AFC Champions League semifinal spot with a hard-fought win over Uzbek side Lokomotiv at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent on Tuesday.
Caio Fernandes' first-half strike was enough to clinch an away win and keep the Garden City club's second Continental dream alive. Keeper Khalid Eisa was brilliant and kept Lokomotiv attacks at bay.
The match had a nervy start. After the initial phase, Lokomotiv settled down and skipper Timur Kapadze had Lokomotiv's first shot on target in the 23rd minute. Two minutes later, striker Temurkhuja Abdukholikov unsuccessfully tested Eisa.
Both teams were on the offensive and Omar Abdulrahman was beginning to blossom. In the 35th minute, Al Ain midfielder Danilo Asprilla had a shot on goal but missed the target by a big margin. At the other end, a fine effort by Lokomotiv's Sanjar Shaakhmedov turned fruitless.
The goal finally came in the 39th minute, when new boy Caio Fernandes etched his name on the board. It was Douglas' shot that got deflected by defender Kaki Makharadze and fell in front of Caio. The Brazilian didn't waste a second to deposit the ball into the right end of the goal. His wild celebrations following the goal were evident of the spotlight and pressure on him to shine.
Minutes before the half-time Al Ain suffered a mild setback as Omar received a yellow. And just before the break, Ismail Ahmed couldn't find direction to his header. Al Ain had tasted blood and were baying for more.
After the break, Lokomotiv, however, returned firing on all cylinders.
Twice AFC Player of the Year Server Djeparov had a good chance in the 58th minute but his finish was ratty. Later, midfielder Salim Mustafaev missed a shot on target. Shaakhmedov tested Eisa with a 74th minute shot but was unsuccessful.
In a desperate effort, Andrey Miklyaev made three changes in space of 10 minutes. New leg Ikromjon Alibaev responded with a late strike but it was parried away by Eisa. The Al Ain keeper was his busy self and made some fine saves to keep the lead intact.  
In the 78th minute, Zlatko Dalic replaced Douglas with Ahmed Barman and four minutes later substitute Danilo Asprilla with Mohamed Abdulrahman.
Later, Amoory had a shot on target but couldn't convert. In the final change for Al Ain, Ibrahim Diaky replaced Omar in additional time.
The final stretch saw the home team throw men forward but Al Ain held on for a famous win and a possible date with Al Nasr in the semis. Al Ain achievement can be gauged by the fact that Lokomotiv had not lost any of their previous 27 home matches. 
Goals:
Al Ain: Caio Fernandes (39)
Yellow cards:
Al Ain: Lee Myung-joo (76), Fawzi Fayez (59), Omar Abdulrahman (43)
Lokomotiv: Ikromjon Alibaev (90+), Marat Bikmaev (86), Oleg Zoteev (68)
Substitute:
Al Ain: Ibrahim Diaky (90+), Ahmed Barman (78), Mohamed Abdulrahman (82)
Lokomotiv: Oleg Zoteev (65), Ikromjon Alibaev (68), Marat Bikmaev (75)