UAE Super Cup: Al Ahli win historic match against Al Jazira as two players sent off in Cairo

Abdelaziz Hekal of Al Ahli, right, and Jefferson Farfan of Al Jazira in action. Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Al Ahli 2 (Fawzi og 44', Lima 69' pen) Al Jazira 1 (Neves 90+4')

Red cards: Rashid (Jazira) and Fardan (Ahli)

Al Ahli retained the Arabian Gulf Super Cup, winning the title for the fourth time in the past five years after coming out on top against Al Jazira at the Air Force Stadium in Cairo.

Ahli took the lead on the stroke of half time after Mohammed Fawzi’s desperate attempt to clear Rodrigo Lima’s cross resulted in the Jazira player putting the ball into his own net.

Lima was on target then doubled the lead from the penalty spot on 69 minutes. Fares Juma, the Jazira centre-back, brought down Waleed Hussain and the Brazilian stepped up to successfully convert.

Thiago Neves, the Brazilian who came on as a late substitute, scored a consolation goal for Jazira in added time.

Jazira suffered a huge blow barely half-hour into the historic game in Egypt – the first time the Super Cup has been played outside the UAE – when Salim Rashid was shown a straight red card for fouling Ahmed Khalil.

Television replays showed it may have been a harsh decision, with Khalil’s left foot appearing to touch Rashid’s right thigh before he went crashing down outside the Jazira area.

Reduced to 10 players, Jazira came closest to breaking the deadlock when Moroccan international Mubarak Boussoufa’s powerful header sailed just wide of the far post.

Parity was restored when Ahli’s Habib Fardan was given his marching orders for pulling down Ali Mabkhout just past the hour-mark.

Cosmin Olaroiu, the Ahli manager, introduced marquee players Asamoah Gyan, the Ghana captain, and Brazilian schemer Everton Ribeiro, from the bench late on.

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