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Bani Yas finish on a high with 1-0 win at Al Wasl

Bani Yas finished their 2012-2013 season on a positive note with a 1-0 win over Al Wasl at the Zabeel Stadium, in the last game of the Etisalat Pro League campaign. Bani Yas, who won the Gulf Clubs Championship on Thursday, finish 4th in the League and their 1-0 win came courtesy of a second-half penalty by Nawaf Mubarak. Eid Baroot signed off as caretaker coach of Al Wasl with a loss and the Dubai-based club finish the season in 9th place, with Baroot poised to join Emirates Club as head coach for next season. Laurent Banide, the new Al Wasl head coach having left Al Dhafra, was in the stands to assess the team before taking the reigns for the upcoming campaign.

Al Wasl managed to muster a greater number of chances during the first half, with Bani Yas looking sluggish following their Gulf Clubs Championship-winning exploits. In the 12th minute the visiting goalkeeper Mohsin Al Hashmi made a good stop to deny Mohamed Naser’s strike, and in the 21st minute Al Hashmi again kept Bani Yas as he saved Emiliano Alfaro’s shot from close range with his face. Seven minutes later Mahed Jassim dragged his shot just wide of the far post after good build-up play from Mohamed Naser, who was the catalyst for all Al Wasl’s attacks. In the 31st minute Al Wasl goalkeeper Rashed Ali made his first save of the game to keep out Khalid Mubarak’s effort and ten minutes before the break Emiliano Alfaro blazed over having broken through on the edge of the box. Neither team could find the target decisively and the first half ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

The second half started at an equally pedestrian, end-of-season pace in the humidity of the Dubai evening, and in the 55th minute Mohamed Naser was again denied a goalscoring opportunity when Bani Yas’ Ibrahim Saeed made a well-timed challenge on the line. In the 62nd minute Bani Yas began to mount more of an attacking threat as Fareed Ismail cut inside from the right before curling a shot goalwards, which was turned behind for a corner by Rashed Ali. Two minutes later Bani Yas were handed the perfect opportunity to make a breakthrough as the referee awarded a penalty when Jussie Ferreira felled Fareed Ismail, and Nawaf Mubarak calmly stepped up to convert the spot kick and make it 1-0 to the visitors in the 64th minute. Five minutes later Al Wasl defender Saood Saeed made a goal-saving clearance on the line to stop Saleh Hamad from doubling Bani Yas’ lead. Al Wasl tried to get back in the game as Emiliano Alfaro saw a good chance fall to him in the 75th minute, but the Uruguayan striker shot straight at Mohsin Al Hashmi from close range, with the ball deflecting off the keeper’s legs to go just wide of the post and behind for a corner. Al Hashmi again made a good save in stoppage time to keep out Al Wasl substitute Abdulla Wahdani’s strike, and the game fizzled out with a 1-0 win for Bani Yas to conclude the season.