News Center

Three teams change positions and four in risk of relegation

Three Etisalat Pro-League teams, Al Wasl, Al Wahda and Al Shabab, have exchanged positions on the table after Round 20. Al Wasl and Al Wahda have moved one step forward into third and fourth places respectively, whilst Al Shabab slipped two steps backwards to fifth position.

Al Wasl beat Dubai by a solitary goal scored by Darweesh Ahmad in the 29th minute to raise their tally to 31 points while Al Wahda maintained an easy 2-0 win over hosts Al Ahli to raise their balance to 30 points. Al Shabab dropped from third to fifth after being held to a 3-3 draw by champions Al Jazira  at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday evening.

The draw ensured Al Jazira extended their unbeaten record to 28 matches, however they nearly lost the match had it not been for Ali Mabkhout who saved the day when he scored the equalizer one minute before the final whistle. It was the fifth draw for Al Jazira in 20 games. They drew twice with their city rivals Al Wahda 0-0 in the third Round and 2-2 in the 14thRound, 2-2 against Al Ahli and 1-1 with Bani Yas.

In other matches on Saturday, Al Nasr came away from the Western Region with three valuable points after defeating soon to be relegated Al Dhafra 4-1 at Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium. Al Nasr are fighting to finish the season in a position that helps them secure a berth in the 2012 AFC Champions League Competition along with Al Wasl, Al Wahda and Al Shabab. All four teams still have a chance to compete with Bani Yas for second place. The forthcoming round should make the situation more clear when it comes to the third and fourth positions. Al Shabab will play both Rounds 21 and 22 at home when they host Al Ahli and Al Ain, while Al Wasl will take on Al Nasr at the latters' pitch before they face Sharjah at home  in the last round. Second placed Bani Yas and third placed Al Wahda will battle it out in the next round, whilst Al Wahda will travel to the Western Region to meet Al Dhafra and Bani Yas will play Al Ahli at Al Shamkha Stadium in the last round.

Four teams, Sharjah, Dubai, Al Ain and Kalba, are involved in the relegation struggle. Sharjah snatched a valuable point in the last round when they held Bani Yas to a 1-1 draw. The game was heading towards a 1-0 win for the hosts Bani Yas, but their player Mohammad Jabir fouled Marcelo inside the box for a penalty three minutes to time and the Brazilian converted the ball into the net to end the encounter with a 1-1 draw. Sharjah will host Al Dhafra in Round 21 at their home ground and then meet Al Wasl in Zabeel in the concluding round. Both Al Ain and Dubai will play against the champions Al Jazira in Round 21 and 22 respectively, whilst Dubai have a decisive game against Kalba this Wednesday, June 1st.Kalba revived their hopes of staying in the top level when they outclassed the visiting squad Al Ain with a 4-3 victory in Round 20 to raise their balance to 20 points putting more pressure on Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah. They are second from bottom on 20 points, two, three and four points behind Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah respectively.