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Al Wahda beat hosts Al Nasr to take 5th position

Abu Dhabi-based Al Wahda continued their winning streak to maintain their fourth successive win following their deserved 3-1 victory over hosts Al Nasr in their Etisalat Pro-League Competition Round 17 encounter played on Monday night at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.  The winners jumped three steps forward to take 5th position with 23 points while the losers dropped two steps downward to stay in t 7th place with 22 points.

Both teams, who played in front of a very few number of spectators, played below the par and could not produce brilliant display especially Al Nasr who demonstrated a poor display that encouraged the visiting squad to put more pressure on them from the word go. The winners did not wait long before they took the lead scoring their first goal only three minutes into the match. Mohammad Ahmad Gasim capitalized on a severe error committed by Al Nasr's defense to collect the ball and drive it home.

This early goal helped Al Wahda to control the game, creating a bagful of scoring chances making use of the shaky performance of their rivals. Al Nasr recovered after conceding the first goal, making some attempts, but that did not stay long and it came to an end after a few minutes. Al Wahda went on their unstoppable raids trying to increase their tally and add more goals after they recognized the shaky performance of the hosts' team. They doubled their efforts which yielded two more goals when Salim Saleh ghosted twice into the six yard area to head the ball home.  Salim netted the second and third goals for his team in the 24th and 30th minutes off a switched ball from the left flank. The home team tried to reduce the deficit but all their attempts were in vain. The visitors finished the first session with a 3-0 lead.

The winners seemed content with their 3-0 first half result as their performance dropped down after the break. But Al Nasr went on their attempts with their players squandering a number of scoring chances and at last their work paid dividends when their striker Ismail Bangoura from Guinea netted their lone goal in the 71st minute to end the game with a 3-1 win for Al Wahda.