Hugo and Fernando Baiano, two of UAE championsn Al-Wahda’s three Brazilians, scored in the last five minutes of the first half to virtually put the match beyond Hekari, a team founded in Papua New Guinea only seven years ago.
Fears that the home team might fail to progress from the opening match as Al-Ahli did last year when they lost to Auckland City, disappointing the organizers and FIFA, were soon dispelled.
Some rudimentary defending from both sides, particularly Hekari, made for some thrills at both ends, but Al-Wahda made better use of their possession with Brazilian midfielder Magrao holding a commanding figure in the middle of the pack.
Al-Wahda went ahead when a high cross from the right fell to Mahmood Al-Hammadi on the left of the box. He brought the ball down for fellow midfielder Hugo to unleash a low, left-footed shot from the edge that went inside the far post.
Four minutes later, Baiano ran onto a fine through ball from Al-Hammadi into the box on the right and beat keeper Simione Tamanisau with a low shot inside the near post.
Substitute Adulraheem Jumaa headed the third 19 minutes from time from a cross from the left which leftback Koriak Upiaga and Tamanisau failed to clear.
Hekari might have taken a shock early lead with their first corner in the sixth minute but Fijian right back Pita Bolatoga’s close range header at the near post was blocked on the line.
Baiano had two chances saved in quick succession after a quarter of an hour.
He chested down a high ball into the box with his back to goal, swivelled and shot but the ball went straight to Tamanisau.
Less than a minute later, Baiano was set up by Hugo but his shot from the right to the near post brought a diving save from the Fijian.
A crowd of 23,800 in the 42,000-capacity Mohammed bin Zayed stadium will have fallen short of UAE expectations as they attempt to persuade FIFA to bring the tournament back to Abu Dhabi in 2013 after it returns to Japan for the next two years.
Ghana clubs in league pullout after raid
In Accfa, the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) voted on Wednesday to pull its members out of all national leagues after a police raid on the local FA to seek information on sponsorship deals, the FA said.
It quoted GHALCA chairman Emmanuel Adotey on its website as saying the confiscation by police of FA computer equipment and files meant that various decisions affecting the running of the leagues could no longer be administered.
“The confiscation of equipments and files has necessitated their pulling out since various decisions including disciplinary cannot be confirmed and communicated to all affected clubs and players,” it quoted Adotey as saying.
The decision means clubs will not be involved in the Glo Premier League, Division One, Two and Three soccer leagues until further notice.
Earlier, soccer’s governing body FIFA said it was monitoring events in Ghana after plain-clothed officers from the country’s Economic and Organized Crime Unit (EOCU) removed nine computers and took the mobile phones of some staff in Tuesday’s raid.
FIFA does not tolerate government interference in soccer and in October it briefly suspended Nigeria following court action against directors of the federation.
Ghana reached this year’s World Cup quarter-finals, losing a penalty shootout to Uruguay, after being denied what would have been a winning goal at the end of extra time when opposing forward Luis Suarez handled the ball on the line.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has not given reasons for the raid but noted authorities had two months ago requested information on all sponsorship contracts signed by the GFA.
It added that it had sought extra time to gather the documents but had not received a response.
Ghana’s World Cup success means it may now experience the same problems as other African soccer nations such as Cameroon or Nigeria, with the arrival of private sponsors creating friction with the government.
