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Bani Yas hold Al Ahli to a goalless draw; Ajman beat Al Shaab 3-1

 

Bani Yas forced their hosts Al Ahli to a goalless draw in the Etisalat Pro League 8th round match played this evening at Rashid Stadium in Dubai to raise their tally to 16 points in the third position, one point ahead of Al Ahli who are in fifth place with a record of 15 points.

The visitors were the better side in the opening minutes and could even reach their hosts’ goal more than once but failed to score while the hosts could not build up any dangerous attacks. Ahmad Ali tested his luck in the 17th minute with a strong volley but it missed the target. Al Ahli came afterwards to play a balanced game when Ismail Al Hamadi led a quick attack in the 20th minute and finished it with a severe shot that deflected by the goalkeeper Mohammed Ali Gholoom with his hand fist before being cleared away by a defender. Luis Jimenez was almost to put Al Ahli into the lead off Emana’s pass in the 27th minute when he sent a rocket - like strike that deflected by the custodian Gholoom to a corner.

The two teams went on their attempts exchanging the attacks and demonstrating a balanced performance.  Bani Yas’s Egyptian striker Mohammed  Zidane came close to score in the 34th minute when he collected the ball and penetrated inside the six yard area and sent a strong shot that deflected by the keeper to a corner. Al Ahli built an organized attack three minutes later when Graffiti was sent free but he was fouled by the goalie outside the box. The game was stopped for five minutes for treating the two players. The match referee Amar Al Junaibi red carded Bani Yas's goalkeeper Mohammed Ali Gholoom for his side to finish the match with ten players. Their coach pulled off Nawaf Mubarak and brought on the custodian Mohsin Al Hashimi three minutes before the break. Graffiti lost a chance in the 46th minute when he was only a few meters from the goal to finish the first half with a goalless draw.

The two teams continued their attempts in the second session for Graffiti to squander another opportunity in the 53rd minute when he was facing the goalkeeper Al Hashimi but he sent the ball into his hands. The home team dominated the match but could not score while the visiting team could not come up with dangerous attacks. Ismail Al Hamadi was unhappy to see his perfect header rebound off the upright nine minutes to time. Luis Jiménez made a spectacular shot one minute into injury time when he rested the ball on his chest, turned round and launched a superb backward strike which flew over the cross bar. 

In the second match played also tonight at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium, Ajman came from behind when they were one goal down to beat AL Shaab 3-1 for both teams to exchange their positions in the table. Ajman moved one step forward to take 10th place with 8 points while Al Shaab slipped to 11th spot with six points. Michel scored for Al Shaab in the 30thminute while Salim Obaid leveled the scores and Founeke Sy and Boris Cabi netted two more goals for the winners in the 61st and 78th minutes respectively.