News Center

Al Wasl fight back from 2-0 down to share the spoils with Dubai

Al Wasl staged a comeback to earn an away draw in a pulsating clash against Dubai in Round 11 of the Etisalat Pro League at the Dubai Club Stadium. With just one point separating the two teams prior to kick-off, Dubai remain in 7th position while Al Wasl slipped one step down to take 9th position.


Neither team was at full strength for the match; Dubai’s top scorer and former Al Wasl striker Richard Porta was watching the game from the stands, and the home side were also missing Magrao and the suspended Hassan Keita. Meanwhile Al Wasl’s Australian defender Lucas Neil was still unavailable through injury, but midfielder Mariano Donda was passed fit enough to make the bench.

The game got off to a high tempo start, with both sets of players showing their commitment to the cause by not shirking any challenges, and each side carving out scoring opportunities within the first five minutes. Al Wasl, enjoyed the lion’s share of attacking chances during the opening 25 minutes but lacked cutting edge in the final third and were unable to make their shots count.

Against the run of play, it was Dubai who made the breakthrough in the 29th minute. Al Wasl center back Yasser Salem lost his footing in a one-on-one and Dubai’s Guinean midfielder Simon Feindouno found himself clean through on goal after a fine individual run, slotting home to make it 1-0 to the hosts.


Looking for an immediate response, Al Wasl almost leveled just one minute later when their top scorer Emiliano Alfaro had his header acrobatically saved by the Dubai goalkeeper Jamal Ali. The Al Wasl attacks continued to rain down on his goal but the visitors got no joy from their efforts. Dubai exploited Al Wasl’s inability to convert their chances as once again they broke away, with Rami Yaslam’s long-range shot forcing a fine save from Al Wasl’s goalkeeper Rashid Ali. A spell of pressure in the Al Wasl penalty area followed, with two corners in quick succession, and it was from the second corner that Dubai doubled their lead. A defensive mix-up between Hassan Ali and the goalkeeper allowed Hassan Abdurrahman’s curling corner to fly straight into the goal, putting the home side 2-0 up in the 43rd minute.

In stoppage time of the first half, Al Wasl pulled a goal back through midfielder Ali Abbas, who got his head on the end of a Shikabala’s cross to send the teams into the dressing rooms with a 2-1 score line at half time.

The game continued as a fast-paced, end-to-end contest with both sides threatening, and Al Wasl putting pressure on the home defense in pursuit of an equalizer. In the 64th minute, Shikabala raced down the right wing and cut inside his marker to curl a left footed shot onto the post from a tight angle.. Shikabala triggered a goalmouth scramble as he threaded a teasing cross in from the right, but Alfaro and Rashed Essa were unable to connect.

Following a sustained period of attacks, Al Wasl got back on level terms in the 77th minute through a stunning free kick from Mariano Donda. A foul by Dubai’s Ali Mahmoud on Essa Ali caused the referee to blow his whistle, and Al Wasl’s Argentinian midfielder made no mistake from the dead ball situation, placing his shot perfectly into the top right-hand corner of the goal to make it 2-2.

Dubai were awarded a late opportunity to regain their lead as Faisal Ali was bundled over by Al Wasl’s Ali Abbas just outside the area in the 86th minute. Simon Feindouno shaped up to take the free kick but was unable to beat the wall. Both sides made one final substitution in stoppage time, but neither side was able to snatch a winner and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.