Thulani Serero's Al Jazira cruised to the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup after thrashing debutants AS Pirae 4-1 on Thursday evening.
FIFA Club World Cup
Result: Al Jazira 4-1 Pirae
Date: 03 February 2022
Venue: Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
Al Jazira, the United Arab Emirates Pro League champions, qualified for the competition as hosts after Japan pulled out due to Covid-19 pandemic while Tahiti champions Pirae replaced Auckland City, who also withdrew due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Serero was in the line-up for the Spider, as they had a perfect start after Zayed Al Ameri fired them ahead in just the fifth minute with a strike in the box after he was teed-up by Mohamed Jamal.
Al Jazira had the attacking momentum and Ahmed Al Hashmi doubled their lead in the 25th minute with a close-range header from a rebound after goalkeeper Teva Durot parried Abdoulaye Diaby's shot on his path.
Zayed Al Ameri had a goal disallowed for the hosts eight minutes before the half-time break by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for a handball before Milos Kosanovic eventually made it 3-0 with a low strike from a free-kick.
Jazira were threatening to run riot, as Al Ameri had a goal chalked off by the VAR again on the stroke of half-time for offside.
Serero was substituted at halftime and replaced by Mamadou Coulibaly, although Pirae pulled a goal back three minutes into the second stanza thanks to an own goal by Mohammed Rabii.
However, Diaby eventually restored a three-goal lead for the Spider just after the hour-mark with a strike in the box into the top corner.
It was a one-way traffic towards the end, as Ali Ahmed Mabkhout thought he had made it 5-1 for Marcel Keizer's charges but his goal was disallowed for offside by the VAR but Al Jazira were already home and dry and sealed a spot in the second round where they will meet Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal.
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