Federico Cartabia's brace helps Shabab Al Ahli win President's Cup final

In a match that saw the fans get back to the stadium after more than a year, Shabab Al Ahli edged past Al Nasr 2-1 in the President's Cup final held at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Sunday. 

Federico Cartabia converted the spot-kicks in each half for Shabab Al-Ahli, which made the difference in a hard-fought cup final. 

Red Knights were on the front foot right from the off, and Yousif Jaber got a sight of goal in the very first minute. Al-Nasr keeper Ahmed Shambih had to remain on his toes as Cartabia and co. frequently tested his resolve. 

At the other end, chances came few and far for Al Nasr as they found it difficult to make inroads in the attacking third. 

The deadlock was broken when Cartabia converted a penalty in the 44th minute after Yuqiub Hassa fouled Walid Abbas inside the box. 

When play resumed after the break, Al Nasr played with more intent and purpose. They were rewarded for their persistence when Mehdi Abeid scored from a corner in the 78th minute. The goal was confirmed after a VAR review. 

However, the scoreline changed once again when Mohamed Ali Ayed tackled Eduardo in the penalty box and Cartabia made no mistake to score from 12 yards. This was Shabab Al-Ahli's fourth victory over Al Nasr in this season across all competitions. 

The presence of fans made the occasion more special. Only vaccinated fans with a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test were allowed at 30 per cent capacity of the stadium. 

This was the 10th President's Cup win in Shabab Al-Ahli's history and the third trophy of the season as they had previously won the Arabian Gulf Cup and the Arabian Gulf Super Cup.