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Pulsating clash between Al Jazira and Dibba Al Fujairah ends 3-3

Luis Milla is still in search of his first win as Al Jazira boss, as a spirited performance by Dibba Al Fujairah held the Abu Dhabi-based side to a 3-3 draw at home. Dibba Al Fujairah, who took the lead three times, earned a valuable and unexpected away point to lift them temporarily off the bottom of the Etisalat Pro League table and up to 12th, with the other two bottom sides still to play in Round 19. Al Jazira meanwhile slip further off the pace at the top by dropping two points at home tonight, with top two Al Ain and Bani Yas yet to play their matches in this round.

Dibba Al Fujairah started the encounter brightly, and indeed it was the visitors who took an unexpected lead in just the 11th minute. A cross by Jasim Al Nuaimi came in from the left-hand side, and Eisa Ali Mohamed beat Al Jazira’s offside trap to provide a headed knockdown which Khalil Al Ali acrobatically converted with an overhead kick to put Dibba Al Fujairah 1-0 up. It is often said that teams are most vulnerable to conceding immediately after having scored, and unfortunately for Dibba Al Fujairah this proved to be the case as Al Jazira wasted no time in getting back on level terms. A simple cross was floated in from the right and Dibba Al Fujairah’s goalkeeper Mohamed Al Rowaihy inexplicably missed his catch, allowing Ricardo Oliveira to nip in behind him and score with a simple tap-in to make it 1-1 in the 13th minute.

The visitors suffered another blow just three minutes after conceding the equaliser, as defender Bilal Najaren had to be stretchered off with an injury and was replaced by Saeed Al Naqbi in the 16th minute. Yet Dr. Abdullah Misfer’s Dibba Al Fujairah side still remained positive and courageously poured forward in attack, and their attacking spirit earned them the lead once more. Al Jazira defender Khalid Sabeal handled in his own area under pressure from Tariq Ahmed, and the referee rightly pointed to the spot. Ahmed Malalla confidently put his penalty kick past Ali Khaseif in the Al Jazira goal, giving Dibba Fujairah a 2-1 advantage in the 26th minute. Al Jazira almost made a quick comeback yet again, as Oliveira’s rasping shot was parried by Mohamed Al Rowaihy in the Dibba Al Fujairah goal in the 32nd minute, but Diaky’s strike on the rebound clattered against the underside of the crossbar before bouncing out and being cleared away by the defense. But seven minutes later Dibba Al Fujairah weren’t so lucky, as Al Jazira struck back with another equaliser. A beautifully dinked ball over the top from Diaky found Matias Delgado, who had held his run well to stay onside, and the Argentinian slotted coolly past Al Rowaihy to make it 2-2 in the 39th minute, and this is how the scoreline remained at the half-time break.

Al Jazira began the second half looking to take control of the game and get in front for the first time, but their efforts at goal were weak and nothing was too much trouble for Mohamed Al Rowaihy. The home crowd was stunned into silence yet again in the 65th minute, as bottom-of-the-table Dibba Al Fujairah took the lead for the third time. A corner kick caused chaos in the Al Jazira penalty area, as Ahmed Malalla’s header clattered against the crossbar. Khalil Al Ali was the quickest to react, tucking his header away to put the visitors 3-2 up with his second goal of the game. However, Dibba Al Fujairah didn’t learn from their earlier mistakes and yet again let Al Jazira get straight back onto level pegging. Matias Delgado floated a free kick into the area just four minutes later, and Abdulla Mousa outclassed Khalil Al Ali’s opening goal with a fine left-footed overhead kick to bring the scores back level at 3-3 in the 69th minute. Al Jazira continued in pursuit of a winner for the remainder of the match, with Luis Milla barking orders from the touchline, but Dibba Al Fujairah continued to defend heroically and held on to claim a point.