AL AIN // It was always going to end in glory for one and heartbreak for the other. Two captains, both age 31, playing in all likelihood their last games for their clubs.
If the 2015 President’s Cup final turns out to be Luis Jimenez’s final match for Al Ahli, then the Chilean forward could not have signed off on a more anti-climatic note.
Read more:
– Photo gallery: Al Nasr edge Al Ahli and then celebrate their President’s Cup title
For Al Nasr’s Australian leader Brett Holman, it was the dream farewell at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain. He had a beaming smile as he received the cup from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Fans hoping for a thrilling finale to the season were bitterly disappointed, though it was hardly surprising since the showpiece took place only four days after the semi-finals, and in 45°C heat.
Chances were few and far between in the first half, with only Ahmed Khalil’s headed goal breaking the tedium, and it looked like it would be Jimenez who would get his hands on the trophy.
All Ahli had to do was see out the last five minutes of their season and the country’s most cherished cup would be theirs. They could not do that, and Kwon Kyung-won’s own goal meant extra time.
Holman showed heroic levels of stamina in the extra 30 minutes, but the match went to penalties. Jimenez missed his spot kick and minutes later the cup was Al Nasr’s.
It was a sad end for Ahli’s No 10. After four years at the club, he no longer commanded an automatic first-team spot this season, with Khalil taking over as captain in his absence.
Yet there is little doubt as to his value to the team; during the much-needed water breaks, it was the Chilean whom Cosmin Olaroiu sought out for instructions. He was the team’s leader – whether he had the armband or not.
Replacing him will not be easy, and he now will leave the Dubai club with a heavy heart.
He has gone on record to say he is unsure where his future lies but, should he be the one to make way if the club brings in new foreign players, he will leave proud of his achievements.
Jimenez has won every domestic honour on offer in the UAE. In 2013, he starred and scored as Ahli won a classic President’s Cup final 4-3 against Al Shabab. Two weeks ago, he helped lead the club through to the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League for the first time in their history after seeing off Al Ain on away goals.
He has also said that he would like to stay in the Arabian Gulf League, but seeing Jimenez in anything other than Ahli red would take some getting used to.
Holman, too, is expected to leave the blue of Nasr behind this summer, with several Qatari clubs rumoured to be interested in his services. The former Australia international’s future remains up in the air.
He will care very little for that today, though. After 26 years, Nasr are once again President’s Cup winners. Holman’s place in the record books, and in Nasr hearts, is safe forever.
akhaled@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE