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Al Dhafra force Al Wasl to a 1-1 draw; Al Wahda beat Al Shaab 2-1

 

Al Dhafra forced hosts team Al Wasl to a 1-1 draw in the fifth round match of the Etisalat Pro League played tonight at Al Aweer Stadium. Both Al Wasl and Al Dhafra gained one point to raise their tally to 9 and 8 points respectively. 

The hosts put more pressure on the visiting team’s defense from the starting whistle trying to notch an early goal that could boost their morals and give them more confidence. They created a bagful of chances and threatened their opponents every now and then but could not score. But against the run of play, Al Dhafra came close to surprise the home team when Abdullah Abdul Hadi was put clear with only the goalkeeper to beat, but the keeper deflected the weak shot towards the Omani midfielder Fawzi Basheir who sent the rebound far above the cross bar in the 21st minute. The Al Wasl Egyptian striker Mahmoud Shekabala gave his side the lead two minutes later when he sent a left footer that beat the hapless keeper Khalid Al Sinani. The unmarked Fawzi Basheir of Al Dhafra came to squander a valuable sitter when he received a cross pass inside the box but he shot wide in the 31st minute. Al Wasl’s keeper Ahmad Mahmoud “deda” deprived Al Dhafra from bringing the game into parity when he deflected Diop’s close – range header to a corner three minutes before the breather. The two teams went on their attempts trying to add more goals and it was Al Dhafra who made their dreams come true when Hassan Zahran headed home the equalizer in the fourth minute of the stoppage time off a corner kick ending the first session with a 1-1 draw.

The level of performance of both teams dropped down in the second half. They made every bit of work but it did not work and both seemed as if satisfied with the draw. Al Dhafra found a real and dangerous chance in the 77th minute but Diop failed to find the back of the net as he sent the ball just near the post. The time went on without any change in the result until the end of the game.

In the second encounter of the night played at Sharjah Stadium, Al Wahda came from behind when they were one goal down in the first half to beat hosts Al Shaab 2-1. The winners raised their balance to 9 points while the losers remained with their seven – point  tally.  Michel Laurent netted the first goal of the match in the 31st minute with a perfect header to end the first half with a solitary goal lead for Al Shaab. But Al Wahda recovered in the second session to dominate the match and their first choice striker Ismail Mattar leveled the score in the 57th minute and his teammate Papa Waigo scored the winner in the 76th minute. Al Shaab’s coach Sergio was given marching orders two minutes before the break due to bad conduct.