Al Ain's Laba Kodjo Fodoh (centre) is congratulated by teammates after scoring his team's first goal
Al Ain ended their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Wydad at Audi Field in Washington in just the third-ever meeting between a team from Morocco and one from the Middle East.
Both teams knew their fate prior to kick-off - even a win would not be enough to see them progress from Group G after losing each of their first two games.
Wydad had fared considerably better in their encounters against group heavyweights Juventus and Manchester City, and they were quick out of the blocks here, needing fewer than five minutes to break the deadlock as Cassius Mailula hammered into the top corner from just inside the area.
They were almost two to the good shortly after, but Oussama Zemraoui couldn’t get enough on Omar Al Souma’s header and his stretched attempt trickled wide.0
Al Ain had to wait until the 20th minute for their first opening, when Yahya Ben Khaleq headed past the post, yet only the bar prevented Ayoub Boucheta at the other end.
The match was beginning to open up at that point, and within seconds of that narrow escape, Soufiane Rahimi forced Al Ain goalkeeper Mehdi Benabid into a crucial stop.
The Emirati outfit did have the ball in the back of the net through Kodjo Laba's fine finish, but it was ruled out for offside.
Nevertheless, Vladimir Ivic’s men got an equaliser before the break from the penalty spot.
Adis Jasic was pulled down by Boucheta following Kaku’s through ball, and from 12 yards, Laba hammered into the back of the net to set up an intriguing second half.
Match momentum
The frantic pace continued after the restart, and having restored parity, Al Ain used that momentum to complete the turnaround.
Kaku was the goalscorer, curling into the top corner with a strike that overcame a VAR intervention for a potential foul in the build-up before being ratified.
0While both teams were still eager to attack, opportunities were lacking compared to the first half. However, Al Ain really should have been two to the good when Laba was found for what seemed a simple tap-in, but instead of finding the back of the net, he somehow slotted past the post.
Ultimately, Al Ain were able to hold on to victory to end the competition on a high, which seemed unlikely after their first two games.
Wydad, meanwhile, will be disappointed not to have got more from this match considering their early pressure, and they end up bottom of the group as a result.
Key match stats
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