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Al Shaab remain in relegation battle after losing 1-0 at Al Wahda

 

With a solitary goal scored by defender Hamdan Al Kamali eight minutes from time through a penalty kick, Al Wahda snatched three valuable points against Al Shaab at the Al Nahyan Stadium to raise their tally to 27 points. The winners moved to sixth position provisionally, whilst the losers remain in 12th place with 10 points, struggling to secure safety with the other two teams below them also on 10 points.

The visiting team took the initiative in the Etisalat Pro League Round 18 match, putting continuous pressure on Al Wahda's defense, and Al Shaab's Lebanese player Hassan Maatouq came close to putting them up only five minutes into the game when he fired a powerful volley, which was deflected by a defender before being controlled by Al Wahda goalkeeper Ali Al Hosani. Following a bagful of unsuccessful attempts made by Al Shaab players, Al Wahda started to recover and gain more of a foothold on the game. Al Wahda’s veteran striker Ismail Matar almost found the target when he launched a rocket-like shot from the edge of the box, but the visitors keeper Motaz Abdulla denied him an early goal when he saved his shot bravely and diverted it for a corner in the 13th minute.

The contest continued in an equal fashion, with neither side able to string an attach of any real threat together. Papa Waigo missed a sitter for Al Wahda when he received a perfect pass from his teammate Ismail Matar, but his close-range shot was saved bravely by the custodian Motaz Abdulla before being cleared by a defender in the 30th minute. Al Shaab’s coach was forced to replace Ahmad Essa due to injury and brought on Saeed Mubarak Saqr in the 30th minute.  The visiting team created a dangerous scoring chance three minutes later when Abdullah Saleh sent a powerful header off a corner but Al Wahda’s defender Abdullah Saeed was in the right position to clear the ball before it crossed the goal line. With both sides unable to make the breakthrough, the players retreated to the dressing rooms at half time with a 0-0 scoreline.

At the start of the second half, both Al Wahda and Al Shaab players continued to create chances, but still neither side could break the deadlock. The most dangerous chance of the match was squandered by Al Wahda in the 65th minute, when Papa Waigo was set free with only the goalkeeper to beat, but Motaz Abdullah, the man of the match, was on the spot to divert the ball to a corner.

Al Wahda continued to pressure Al Shaab, making every bit of effort to make their home advantage count, but the visiting defenders stood strong to repel the home team's attacks. The only way Al Wahda were able to find a way past them was in the 82nd minute, when Rashid Ali brought down Salem Saleh inside the box and the referee awarded a penalty. The spot kick was converted by Hamdan Al Kamali - back in the side after serving a suspension in the last round - giving Al Wahda a late 1-0 victory.