Milan draw the crowds but Ahli hold their own

AC Milan's Clarence Seedorf, right, vies with Fabio Cannavaro of Al Ahli club during their Emirates Challenge Cup match in Dubai.

DUBAI // The Pro League may not be a big draw among the fans. AC Milan, however, are.

A crowd of close to 8,000 filled the stands at the Rashid Stadium last night to watch some of the biggest stars of Planet Football. Entertainment was a natural outcome.

With the likes of Clarence Seedorf, who opened the scoring in the 38th minute, Antonio Cassano, Pato and Gennaro Gattuso on the pitch, the fans were guaranteed top-quality football.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho then came off the bench in the second session to add to the glitz and entertainment quotient, and make it a memorable night for the fans.

Unfortunately, Robinho could not complete the game, leaving the field with braces on his right knee after crashing into one of the cameras on the sideline. Milan decided to play with 10 men for the remaining minutes. Massimiliano Allegri, the Milan coach, will be waiting anxiously on his star's fitness, but hopes the Brazilian will be fit for the match at Cagliari on Thursday, when the Italian league resumes after the winter break.

The entertainment lasted until the final seconds when David O'Leary, the Ahli coach, rushed towards Ibrahimovic after his tackle on Hassan Ali, the scorer for the home side. Words were exchanged and seconds later, after the final whistle, Ibrahimovic headed for the former Arsenal defender and officials had to pull them away.

"It was just a nervous moment between the player and the coach, but it died out," Allegre said. "We had a good game. It was a good test for Milan and I hope the fans enjoyed it as well."

O'Leary declined to review his stand-off with Ibrahimovic and instead focused on the credible performance of his side. "I wouldn't want to talk about him," he said. "It's been a pleasure to have AC Milan here. It's a club that I have admired for a long, long time.

"I have been lucky and privileged with Arsenal to play against them, and lucky again to manage against them.It was a lovely evening and for a trivial few seconds of something, I wouldn't want to ruin it."

The home side started promisingly and were far from embarrassed in the end. Ahli, who had players from other Pro League clubs in their line-up, also had the credit of creating the first few chances of the game. Milan, however, gradually established their hold on the game.

Giacomo Beretta scored AC Milan's second goal in the 72nd minute to make it 2-0.

Ahli did not go away empty-handed, however, as Ali made a golden memory by scoring with a booming volley following a cross from Abdullah Ali.