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Al Ahli and Al Nasr draw 2-2 in Dubai Derby

Al Ahli and Al Nasr shared their Dubai derby match played this evening at Rashid Stadium in Al Ahli Club in the Etisalat Pro League 10th round following their 2-2 draw, for each side to add one point to their tally. Al Nasr raised their balance to 21 points to take third place while Al Ahli are fourth with a record of 19 points.

The two squads played a balanced game with Al Nasr being the better side as they dominated most parts of the match, spread successfully on the pitch and reached their rivals’ goal every now and then. Al Ahli and Al Nasr created few chances and despite of this fact, the strikers squandered all the chances that came their way. Moreover, the defenders of both teams played strongly to deprive the attackers from making use of the opportunities they have created, spoiling all their attempts.

The performance of the players of both teams was marred by inconcentration which made them lose scoring chances in most offensive cases.

Both teams went on their attempts trying to score the first goal of the game, but all the attacks were weak and could not put the desired danger on both sides. Al Nasr led an organized attack at the moment when the fans of the two teams began to sing the UAE national anthem to celebrate the 41st Union anniversary. The Italian player Mascara received the ball outside the box before sending a strong shot from a long distance in the 42nd minute which went straight into the net, giving the visiting team a 1-0 lead. But their joy did not live long when Esmail Al Hamadi brought the game to parity in the last minute of the first session.

The two teams started the second half with great care to add more goals with Al Ahli putting their rivals under high pressure for Esmail Al Hamadi to lose a lovely chance in the 55th minute when he faced Al Nasr’s custodian Abdullah Mousa who succeeded in deflecting the ball to a corner. But Al Ali’s defender Basheir Saeed compensated for Al Hamadi’s squandered chance when he scored the second goal with a shot that deflected by both defender Hilal Saeed and midfielder Nashat Akram into the net only one minute later. Al Nasr started to look for the equalizer but their opponents tightened their grip on the match to retain their narrow lead.

Al Ahli’s striker Esmail Al Hamadi was pulled off due to injury and was replaced by Faisal Khalil ten minutes before the final whistle. The Italian striker Mascaras secured a valuable point for Al Nasr when he scored his second goal with a severe shot off a stand ball that beat Al Ahli’s goalkeeper Ali Rabei to make it 2-2. Al Nasr’s defender Hilal Saeed was red carded after collecting the second yellow card for his team to play the last three minutes with ten players.