News Center

Last-gasp goal gives Al Wasl 2-1 win over Al Shabab

Al Wasl left it late to snatch a 2-1 win over local rivals Al Shabab at the Zabeel Stadium in Round 22 of the Etisalat Pro League on Saturday night. Emiliano Alfaro had put the hosts ahead before Edgar Bruno equalised, and the game looked like playing out as a draw until Alfaro stole all three points with a last-minute header. The win means Al Wasl remain 9th in the table with an increased total of 27 points, whilst Al Shabab stay 6th with 33.

Al Shabab began the game on the front foot, with the ever-threatening Brazilian attack force of Edgar Bruno, Ciel and Luiz Henrique causing trouble from the off. Ciel forced a save from Ahmed Mahmoud in just the 2nd minute with a shot from the right, and in the 6th minute Mohammed Marzooq hit a good strike from distance but it just failed to dip under the crossbar in time. In the 20th minute Ahmed Mahmoud made a simple yet crucial stop from Luiz Henrique, and Walid Abbas found a shooting opportunity for himself from the resulting corner but the defender couldn’t get his foot over the ball and sliced his shot high above the crossbar. Three minutes later a cross was whipped in by Hamdan Qassim, but Edgar Bruno’s first touch was heavy and he couldn’t direct his shot on target from a tight angle and Al Wasl were once again let off the hook. However, it was against the run of play that the home side took the lead in the 29th minute, albeit in scrappy fashion. Achille Emana released Jussie Ferreira with a ball down the left and Al Wasl’s own Brazilian drove a ball into the box across the face of goal, where Emiliano Alfaro was waiting to pounce. Walid Abbas initially kept the effort out but the defender and his goalkeeper couldn’t clear their lines and the Uruguayan striker eventually bundled the ball over the line to make it 1-0, scoring his 16th League goal of the campaign in the process. But Al Shabab soon found their way back into the game as Ciel sent a telling cross into the box from the right and Edgar Bruno rose above Al Wasl’s centre-back pairing to get a header away. His effort hit the crossbar before crossing the line and bouncing back out again, but the referee and his linesman made the correct decision in awarding the goal to make it 1-1 in the 40th minute. Just before the half-time break Al Wasl were forced into a change as defender Saood Saeed came off injured to be replaced by Maher Jassim, and the teams retreated to the dressing rooms on a level playing field.

Six minutes after the restart Al Shabab attempted to get ahead as the industrious Uzbek midfielder Haydarov Azizbek drilled one from long-range, which wasn’t too far off the mark. Two minutes later Al Wasl were handed a great opportunity to get their noses in front again but Achille Emana was again wasteful with a free kick, hitting the wall, and Hassan Ali lashed his follow-up high and wide. Both sides lacked cutting edge going forward, as Al Wasl’s Jussie Ferreira chipped from a tight angle in the 64th minute but saw his effort cleared easily by Al Shabab’s defense. Six minutes later Al Shabab were awarded a very promising free kick right on the edge of the area after Luiz Henrique was tripped, but Ciel’s direct shot from the set piece clattered the top of the crossbar before bouncing out to safety. In the 76th minute Al Wasl goalkeeper Ahmed Mahmoud saved well after Ciel stole through to get a shot away on the right. Al Shabab maintained the pressure as Al Wasl couldn’t clear their lines, with Mohammed Marzooq’s eventual shot being saved by the home side’s custodian. Al Wasl appeared devoid of ideas going forward as they failed to work Salem Abdulla in the Al Shabab goal, and Jussie Ferreira’s well-placed free kick was directed straight into the wall in the 87th minute, but two minutes later Al Wasl charged forwards to steal all three points. Mohamed Jamal whipped an inch-perfect cross in from the right and Emiliano Alfaro was waiting in the penalty area to head home his brace in the 89th minute, making it 2-1 and securing a fortuitous victory for the home side.