AS Pirae have bowed out of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021™ after suffering a 4-1 loss to host club Al Jazira on Friday morning NZT.
Three goals inside the opening half did much of the damage, with Zayed Al Ameri opening the scoring on five minutes followed by further strikes from Ahmed Al Hash and Milos Kosanovic.
Hopes of a comeback were briefly raised early in the second half when AS Pirae clawed one back through an own goal, but Al Jazira – who last year won the UAE Pro League – proved too strong and added another on 63 minutes through Abdoulay Diaby.
While the result at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium didn’t go their way, it was a brave effort from the Tahitians who were without a number of key players who tested positive for COVID-19 before departing for the UAE.
Al Jazira Club: 4 (Zayed AL AMERI 5’, Ahmed AL HASHMI 25’, Milos KOSANOVIC 41’ Abdoulay DIABY 63’)
AS Pirae: 1 (Rabii MOHAMMED [OG] 48’)
Half-time: 3-0
The hosts start with a win! ⚽⚽⚽⚽@aljazirafc kick-off the tournament in Abu Dhabi with a comfortable victory 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Nv4t2WNj6F
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 3, 2022
Main photo – credit: Christophe Fotozz