Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
The final of the President's Cup will be an all-Abu Dhabi affair as Al Ain and Al Jazira both secured hard-fought victories in their respective semi-finals to set up a historic encounter for the UAE's most prestigious football trophy.
Al Ain reached the showpiece for the 15th time in their history by ending the spirited run of United FC with a 2-0 victory, a double from Soufiane Rahimi deep into extra time saving the blushed. Al Jazira had overcome defending champions Shabab Al Ahli in a narrow 1-0 win on Saturday.
Al Ain may be experienced finalists but they were forced to dig deep against a resilient United side under Italian coach Andrea Pirlo which relied on a compact defensive shape and counter-attacks.
Despite Al Ain dominating the opening period and creating several clear-cut opportunities through Laba Kodjo and Rahimi, they found United goalkeeper Enayat Noor in inspired form. Noor made a string of crucial saves to keep the match level, and with the help of defender Moraes, frustrated the Al Ain attack throughout the 90 minutes of regulation time.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the first period of extra time. Noor, who had been the hero for much of the night, became the protagonist in United's undoing. In the 102nd minute, the referee awarded a penalty to Al Ain following a challenge by Noor on Hossein Rahimi.
Soufiane Rahimi stepped up to convert the spot-kick and finally break the deadlock. As United pushed forward in search of an equaliser, their defensive discipline wavered. In the sixth minute of stoppage time in the first period of extra time, Noor misjudged a clearance, allowing the ever-alert Rahimi to intercept and slot the ball into an empty net for his second of the match.
Al Ain maintained their composure in the final 15 minutes to see out the result and book their place in the final.
They will meet Al Jazira, who ended a decade-long wait to return to the President's Cup final. The Pride of Abu Dhabi defeated Shabab Al Ahli 1-0 at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, thanks to a 47th-minute strike from Bruno Oliveira.
It marks the fifth time Al Jazira have reached the final and their first appearance since the 2015-2016 season, when they ironically defeated Al Ain to lift the trophy.
The victory continued a remarkable run for Al Jazira at the Al Ain venue, marking their fourth significant win over Shabab Al Ahli at the ground in the past decade. Al Jazira coach Marino Pusic expressed his pride in the performance, noting that after a difficult opening 20 minutes, his side were the superior team.
He praised the veteran goalkeeper Ali Khaseif for his early interventions and lauded the squad's mental strength after having a goal disallowed late in the first half. Al Jazira survived some late anxious moments with 10 players on the field after a second yellow card saw Mohamed Rabie sent off.
Al Jazira will have home advantage for the final and Pusic noted that playing at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium provides an extra incentive for his players as they look to take the final step toward the title. With Al Ain seeking to reassert their dominance and Al Jazira looking to end their title drought of 10 years, the capital is set for a final to remember.