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Bani Yas beat Al Nasr 2-1 to keep their hopes alive

With two goals netted by Spanish player Yaste, Bani Yas dashed Al Nasr's hopes and put them out of contention of the Etisalat Cup Competition when they beat them 2-1 in the match played this evening on Al Maktoum Stadium at Al Nasr Club within the 8th round of the second Group matches. The winners raised their tally to 11 points to keep their hopes alive while the losers remain with their eight-point previous balance.

Both teams demonstrated a balanced performance before the interval with a relative superiority for Bani Yas over the hosts squad as they created several scoring chances but they lacked the last touch. It was obvious that the visitors were highly affected by the absence of their first choice striker Senegalese Andre Sengahoor due to suspension after he was given marching orders in the previous game against Al Ahli. Bani Yas also missed the efforts of their UAE five Olympic Team's players namely Mohammad Fawzi, Amer Abdul Rahman, Haboosh Saleh, Mohammad Jaber and Ahmad Ali. The hosts played with the key probables with only Habeeb Al Fardan who did not take part due to national duty.

Al Nasr won earlier the first leg match with a solitary goal netted by their Ecuadorian player Carlos Tenero.

Both teams, Al Nasr and Bani Yas, exchanged continuous attacks looking for an early goal but they lost all the chances that came their way, in addition to the big success shown by the defenders and goalkeepers who spoiled all the attempts. The losers made an organized attack six minutes before the break which ended with their lone goal when the unmarked Jamal Ibrahim capitalized on his teammate Younis Ahmad's perfect pass to slam the ball home from a close range to end the first session with a 1-0 lead for the home team.

Bani Yas continued their dominance of the encounter after the breather putting more and unstopping pressure on Al Nasr's defense. It was only 8 minutes into the second half when Spanish striker Yaste brought the game back to parity with a long-range volley. The winners went on their attempts trying to score the winner while the hosts relied heavy on defensive tactics and depended on counter attacks and they came close to score in two occasions. But Bani Yas's defender Ali Masari saved the day for his team when he dashed on the ball at the moment Amara Diane was almost to slam it home with only the custodian to beat in the 64th minute. Also the hapless Amara was unlucky to see his strong header rebounded off the cross bar in the 76th minute.

At the time the game was heading towards a draw, Yousuf Jaber sent a strong shot that hit the cross bar in the 89th minute, but Yaste came to score the winner a few seconds later with a rocket-like left footer only one minute before the final whistle to give his side a 2-1 deserved victory.