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Al Jazira eliminate Al Shabab to meet Al Wahda in the final

Al Jazira moved into the last stage of the President's Cup Competition to face Al Wahda in the final game next month following their thrilling 4-1 win in their semifinal match played this evening at Zayed Sports City.

 Al Shabab started the game with a strong performance making a number of raids, but failed to score. Their player Mohammed Nasser was put clear with only the custodian to beat, but his fierce volley was saved bravely by Al Jazira's goalie Ali Khusaif in the ninth minute. .In spite of their rare attempts, AL Jazira were the first side to find the back of the net when their Brazilian player Bare sent a long-range volley that beat the hapless goalkeeper putting his team into the lead ten minutes into the game. AL Shabab doubled their efforts creating some scoring opportunities and they were close to net the equalizer when Joseil Da Silva launched a rocket-line left footer in the 13th minute, but for his bad fortune the ball rebounded off the goal keeper's hands before being cleared away by a defender. The ball was collected by AL Jazira's midfielder Subait Khatir who moved forward before sending it to his teammate Olivera on the right flank. The Brazilian player made no mistake when he hooked the ball over Al Shabab's advancing goalkeeper Salim Abdullah making it 2-0 in the 14th minute. AL Shabab did not lose hope, they kept on their strong display to reduce the deficit after controlling the midfield zone. The unmarked Brazilian striker Bare collected the ball and stepped forward into the box before sending a strong shot that rebounded off the left upright in the 27th minute.

 The two teams exchanged continuous attacks, but all their attempts were in vain. AL Shabab's dynamic and best player in his squad, Carlos Villanueva, had almost reduced the deficit, but his strong volley was deflected by the goalie Ali Khusaif to a corner in the last minute to end the first session with a 2-0 win for Al Jazira.

The technical standard of the match dropped down after the break as both teams played below the par. They missed the target in a number of occasions and their performance was marred by tough play. The winner's Brazilian striker Olivera made things difficult for the Dubai-based team, AL Shabab, when he scored the third goal with a strong shot in the 75th minute and defender Juma'a Abdullah completed the rout when he hit the back of the net with a perfect header scoring the fourth goal in the 79th minute capitalizing on the lovely ball switched by midfielder Hilal Saeed in front of the goal mouth. The losers were rewarded a penalty three minutes to time and Joseil Da Silva made no mistake netting a consolation goal for his side to finish the game with a 4-1 win.