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Al Wasl 1-2 Al Dhafra: Two wins from two for Al Dhafra

Al Dhafra continued their 100% UAE League Cup record this season with a 2-1 victory at Al Wasl in Round Two of the competition. Goals from Hasan Al Hammadi and Kamel Chafni sandwiched a Mohamed Naser equaliser for Al Wasl, as Al Dhafra stormed to the top of Group B with six points out of a possible six. Al Wasl remain third in the group with three points after two rounds.

On a windy and warm night at the Zabeel Stadium, the opening twenty minutes presented Andre Senghor with a couple of chances for Al Wasl but the former Bani Yas frontman couldn’t trouble Abdulla Sultan in the Al Dhafra goal. Just after the half hour mark Emmanuel Clottey tried a header, and Makhete Diop and Kamel Chafni also created opportunities for Al Dhafra but like their opposite numbers, they were unable to find that killer final ball. With the first half winding down somewhat uneventfully, Al Wasl’s Mohamed Naser almost had the crowd out of their seats as he hit a thunderbolt of a shot from all of 30 yards, but his powerfully-struck effort just skimmed the top of the crossbar.

After a goalless first half, there was a quick flurry of action as Al Dhafra took the lead just three minutes after resuming play. Hasan Al Hammadi was the man to find a way through, converting from Ahmed Sulaiman’s assist to give Dr. Abdullah Misfer’s visitors a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute. But the advantage was short-lived as nine minutes later Al Wasl were back on level terms as Mohamed Naser rose to head home a Yaser Salem cross from the right. There was a further positive for Al Wasl fans as long-term absentee made his first appearance after overcoming a serious injury, coming on as a substitute for Hamad Al Hosani in the 71st minute. But a miscontrol in the area led to a penalty being awarded to Al Dhafra in the final ten minutes of the match, and new signing Kamel Chafni stepped up to confidently convert for his third goal in two UAE League Cup matches, giving Al Dhafra a 2-1 lead. In the 87th minute Al Dhafra almost pulled even further away as a fierce shot from close range by Makhete Diop required a double-block on the line from Al Wasl goalkeeper Rashid Ali and defender Milan Susak to keep the score down to 2-1.