BERG’S HAT-TRICK SEALS AGL TITLE FOR AL AIN
DUBAI: Al Ain were crowned Arabian Gulf League champions for the 13th time in their history thanks to a marcus Berg’s hat-trick in an emphatic 4-0 win over Al Nasr at Shabab Al Ahli Stadium in Dubai in matchweek 21 of the competition on Saturday.
Berg opened the scoring for the visitors in the 34th minute with his 20th of the season, after Hussein El Shahat advanced on the left flank before supplying a through pass to Omar Abdulrahman whose effort was tipped by goalkeeper Ahmed Shambih into the path of the Swede who tapped in from point-blank to make it 1-0 for Al Ain.
Just as the game was headed toward the half time break, Berg popped up again, powering in a header after Caio Fernandes’ curled cross from the left wing in the 44th minute.
Despite Shambih’s best efforts to rescue, Berg’s header crossed the line declaring a 2-0 lead for the Boss at half time.
The striker extended his lead at the top of the goal scoring charts with his 22nd goal of the campaign, completing his hat-trick in the 62nd minute.
The Swedish international outmuscled his marker to get on the end of Rayan Yaslam’s cross from the left wing to make it 3-0.
Substitute Ahmed Khalil rounded the scoring with Al Ain’s fourth in added time. The UAE international curled at the bottom corner to convert Omar Abdulrahman’s through pass following a quick break to complete the rout for the Boss.
The 15th win of the campaign means Al Ain move up to 50 points, six clear of their nearest chasers Al Wahda who fell to a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Ajman at Zayed Sport City.
AJMAN STUN AL WAHDA
Earlier, the Oranges stunned their hosts 12 minutes into the game as Modibo Maiga rose highest to head home Bakary Kone’s cross from the corner kick.
The Malian’s ninth goal of the AGL season forced Al Wahda to go all-outattack to try and turn the tables.
Sebastian Tagliabue headed wide from Tariq Ahmed’s cross before finding the back of the net from a similar position after a cross from Rim Changwoo in the 26th minute.
The Clarets completed their comeback with a second header ten minutes later. Defender Salem Sultan bagged his first-ever AGL goal, driving in Mohammed Al Menhali’s pinpoint cross from the right wing.
Adeilson thought he had brought Ajman level after firing on the volley from inside the box, but his effort was ruled out as the offside flag had already gone up.
The Brazilian eventually did get the equaliser for the Oranges just six minutes after resumption of play. Adeilson converted Mohammed Helal’s cross from the right flank on the half-volley to restore parity.
Ajman added their third of the night through Maiga. The Malian found space inside Al Wahda’s box to drive home a cushioned header from Helal in the 58th minute to complete a famous win for Ayman Al Ramadi’s men.
The result means Al Wahda cannot catch Al Ain at the top of the table as they find themselves six points adrift with a single game to go. Ajman, meanwhile, move up to 26 points and can find themselves in seventh place should Al Jazira lose to Sharjah in the final game of the matchweek.
On Friday, Hatta looked destined for relegation after falling to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Al Wasl at Zabeel Stadium.
Al Wasl were dealt a blow after Ronaldo Mendes was shown the red card following a shove on Hatta defender Mahmood Qassim halfway through the opening period.
Despite their one-man disadvantage, the Cheetahs managed to open the scoring at the hour-mark through Caio Canedo. Substitute Ali Saleh was the creative force behind the goal as he latched onto Obaid Saleh’s spilled save and squared for the Brazilian who tapped in from close range.
The 18-year-old turned from provider to scorer within eight minutes. Saleh pounced on a poor defensive clearance to strike from the edge of the area and double the hosts lead with his first goal of the AGL season.