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Al Ahli seize 2nd with confident 4-1 win at Bani Yas

Al Ahli stormed back into second spot in the Etisalat Pro League with a confident 4-1 win over Bani Yas at the Bani Yas Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday night. Ismael Al Hammadi headed home Al Ahli’s 50th goal of the season and Grafite scored the 24th of his personal tally, with Adnan Al Beloshi and Majed Hassan also getting on the scoresheet in a dominant attacking display from Quique Flores’ side. Al Ahli now have 42 points at the conclusion of Round 22, whilst Bani Yas remain on 41 points and drop a place to 3rd after the heavy home defeat.

The game started slowly as both sides felt each other out cautiously during the opening stages, with Al Ahli just shading the contest in terms of possession despite being the away side. Indeed it was the visitors who managed to break the deadlock in the 22nd minute as Adnan Al Beloshi chipped a perfect cross in from the right, which the pintsized Emirati attacker Ismael Al Hammadi rose to head in at the back post to make it 1-0, scoring Al Ahli’s 50th Etisalat Pro League goal of the season in the process. Four minutes later Bani Yas came close to getting back on level pegging when Nawaf Mubarak’s dipping free kick was pushed over the bar by Al Ahli goalkeeper Majed Naser, and soon it was Al Ahli on the attack again as they carved the Bani Yas defense open once more. Luis Jiminez did well to keep the ball in at the byline but Amir Mubarak’s shot from the Chilean’s cutback was narrowly over the bar. Bani Yas’ international stars Mohamed Aboutrika and Christian Wilhelmsson occasionally showed flashes of their brilliance, but the home side couldn’t find a way through and it was Al Ahli who pulled further ahead just before the half-time whistle. Brazilian striker Grafite timed his run perfectly after being released by Amir Mubarak, slotting the ball under Bani Yas goalkeeper Mohsin Al Hashmi’s body to make it 2-0 in the 45th minute.

Bani Yas tried their best to get back into the game when play resumed, as Nawaf Mubarak again curled a dangerous free kick into the box but Andre Senghor’s 50th-minute header was straight at Majed Naser. Four minutes later, however, normal service from the first half was resumed, as Al Ahli cruised into a 3-0 lead with relative ease. Grafite turned provider as he squared the ball from the left for Adnan Al Beloshi to tap home from close range in the 54th minute, with Bani Yas struggling for composure at the back. Things worsened for the home side as they lost both Mohammed Fawzi and Fahad Feraish to injury, bringing on Haboush Saleh and Thamer Mohammed in their places. Al Ahli showed no signs of letting up as Mohsin Al Hashmi made an important save from Ismael Al Hammadi’s goalbound header in the 63rd minute, and seconds later Luis Jiminez almost made it four as he danced through the box and toe-poked the ball towards goal, but his effort came back off the far post. With efforts from Grafite, Al Hammadi and Jiminez continuing to rain down on the Bani Yas goal, the home side managed to break away to the other end and substitute Haboush Saleh stung the palms of Majed Naser in the 65th minute. Al Ahli though continued to threaten and in the 70th minute the scoreline became academic as Majed Hassan put the visiting team 4-0 up, converting from close range after Bani Yas failed to clear their lines and Grafite miscued his attempted back-heel. In the 78th minute Bani Yas notched a consolation goal as Nawaf Mubarak’s free kick evaded the loosely-assembled Al Ahli wall and caught Majed Naser off guard to go straight through into the net, making it 4-1, but it was too little too late. Mohamed Aboutrika’s extraordinary miss from a matter of yards out in the 87th minute summed up a day to forget for Bani Yas as the game ended 4-1 to the visitors.