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Al Nasr take all three points with 2-1 win over title challengers Bani Yas

Al Nasr recorded a home win over second-placed Bani Yas, defeating the title challengers by two goals to one. The win puts Al Nasr in fifth place as it stands, swapping with Al Shabab after they lost at Al Ain tonight, whilst Bani Yas dropped valuable points as they try to keep up with the League leaders.

The first half was mostly a midfield battle, with few chances of note as Al Nasr dominated possession. In the sixth minute Japanese striker Takayuki Morimoto saw his glancing header saved by Obaid Al Taweela in the Bani Yas goal, and ten minutes later Italian forward Giuseppe Mascara put a looping header just over the crossbar. In the 20th minute Habib Al Fardan’s clever chip put Mascara through again but his shot was straight at the keeper, and five minutes later Al Nasr came the closest so far to breaking the deadlock as Habib Al Fardan’s header from a corner crashed into the crossbar and rebounded to safety. Finally, in the 38th minute the home side made the breakthrough. A corner came in from the right and Habib Al Fardan kept the ball in the box before sending it out to club captain Leonardo Lima. The Brazilian whipped in a cross from the right and defender Hilal Saeed powered a header into the back of the net to make it 1-0 to Al Nasr, and the one goal remained the difference between the two sides as they headed into the dressing rooms after forty-five minutes.

Al Nasr doubled their lead in the 58th minute when a cross from the left found Morimoto in the box, and the Japanese star somehow managed to squeeze the ball past the onrushing Bani Yas goalkeeper Obaid Al Taweela before tapping it over the line to make it 2-0 to the home side. Bani Yas tried to hit back two minutes later as Andre Senghor saw his powerful shot blocked by defender Hilal Saeed. Bani Yas then had to withdraw UAE national team midfielder Haboush Saleh due to injury, bringing on Khalid Mubarak in his place, and the visitors immediately got back in the game when Nawaf Mubarak curled a shot in from distance, taking everyone by surprise as they expected a cross, reducing the deficit to 2-1. In the 67th minute Al Nasr made their first substitution of the match, bringing on the attacking midfielder Humaid Abdulla in place of Abdulla Mubarak. Two minutes later Al Nasr goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh did well to deny Andre Senghor before Al Nasr immediately stormed up the other end of the pitch, as Morimoto broke forward with Humaid Ahmed and Humaid Abdulla in support. Morimoto elected to pass to the former, who launched a stinging shot just wide of the right-hand post. Al Nasr made a second change, replacing the hardworking UAE national team midfielder Habib Al Fardan with Yunus Abdulla, whilst Bani Yas switched Fawaz Awana for the fresh legs of Saleh Hamad. Al Nasr continued in search of a third goal to secure their advantage further, with Morimoto, Humaid Ahmed, Humaid Abdulla and Leonardo Lima combining well to create attacks. Al Nasr weathered a late storm from Bani Yas as the visitors tried to pepper Shambieh’s goal and make the most of cheap fouls conceded in dangerous areas, and Yousef Jaber went closest in injury time, but Walter Zenga’s men held on to gather the three points.