India face UAE and Oman test in friendlies next month
Al Dhafra ended their 7-game winless run and raised their tally to 20 points. They halted Al Ain’s march towards the third place. Kalba returned to winning ways and raised their tally to 26 points as Fujairah remained on 10 points
Makhete Diop scored a goal in each half to hand Al Dhafra a valuable 2-1 victory over Al Ain at Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium in matchweek 18 of the Arabian Gulf League.
Diop broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, as the Senegalese forward handed the home side a 1-0 advantage.
Al Ain made a comeback ater they were awarded a penalty only five minutes ater the restart. Laba Kodjo found the back of the net to get the Boss back into the game and level the scoreline at 1-1.
Al Dhafra were awarded a penalty kick in the 75th minute but Pedro Conde’s effort hit the woodwork. However, the hosts were handed another chance to take the lead when they were awarded another penalty just two minutes later. Diop was at the center of action once more as he stepped up and scored from the spot what turned out to be the winner.
Al Dhafra ended their seven-game winless streak and raised their tally to 20 points. They halted Al Ain’s march towards the third place as they temporarily sit fourth on 30 points.
MLAPA STARS IN KALBA WIN: Itihad Kalba put in a dominant second-half performance to cruise past hosts Fujairah 3-0 in another match of the day.
Ater reviewing the VAR, the guests were awarded a penalty kick in injury time for a handball. Peniel Mlapa stepped up and converted from the spot to hand his side a 1-0 advantage ahead of the break.
The Tigers kicked off the second half in a strong manner, as they doubled their lead only eight minutes ater the restart. Davide Mariani’s effort found Mohamed Subil and the later found the back of the net to make it 2-0.
Itihad Kalba went in search for a third goal but were repeatedly denied by keeper Saleh Rabei. They eventually found the back of the net when Mlapa neted his second of the night in the 87th minute to seal a 3-0 win.
Kalba returned to winning ways and raised their tally to 26 points. Meanwhile, hosts Fujairah remained on 10 points.
Meanwhile, the action resumes on Friday when Al Nasr, who are fith on 30 points, welcome botom-placed Hata at Al Maktoum Stadium. Considering their league standings, it may seem like an easy task for fith-placed Al Nasr. However, Hata’s most recent performance against Shabab Al Ahli, which saw them suffer a late 2-1 defeat, shows that the Blues may face difficulty collecting the three points, as they seek to enter into the top three.
Bani Yas will be hosting Ajman in a top-versusbotom clash at the same time. The home team enter the game on the back of a thrilling 3-3 draw with Al Jazira.
The Sky Blues look to close on the four-point gap on Al Jazira and Sharjah, who will face off later on Friday. At the other end of the table, the Oranges are in dire need of the three points as they currently sit in the relegation zone with nine points.
Shabab Al Ahli will be targeting to edge closer to the top four when they face Khorfakkan at Rashid Stadium at 20:15 pm. The hosts’ recent performances allowed them to climb up to sixth place on 29 points. Khorfakkan’s motives are completely different as the guests need to end their winless streak which let them in the 11th spot with 15 points only.
All eyes will be at Sharjah Stadium, where Sharjah and Al Jazira, the top two teams on the standings, will fight it out in a game that might prove pivotal in the title race. The winner of the top-of-the-table showdown will move three points clear at the top, as they are both currently tied on 37 points, with the King having the edge by the virtue of a head-to-head record.
Besides fighting for the top spot, the King will be looking to return to winning ways ater collecting two points only in their past three matches, as they drew with Al Wahda and Al Dhafra and lost to Al Ain. They will, however, have a tough task ahead as they clash with the Pride of Abu Dhabi who are the highest-scoring team in the league so far with 45 goals and are tied with Bani Yas as the strongest defense ater conceding 17 goals only.
Al Jazira will also be looking to avenge their 1-0 defeat to the King in matchweek 5 and bounce back ater their most recent draw with Bani Yas. The competition extends to the top goalscorer race, as Welliton Soares looks to reduce the three-goal gap with leader Ali Mabkhout, who has 15 goals to his name so far.
NEW DELHI: India are looking forward to their international friendlies against Oman and UAE next month ahead of the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.
The Blue Tigers, who are in Group E of the Asian Qualifiers, will assemble in a preparatory camp in Dubai on March 15 before taking on Oman on March 25 and UAE four days later.
The two friendlies are India’s first taste of Continental action following their 1-0 defeat to Oman during the Asian Qualifiers in November 2019 as both goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and central defender Sandesh Jhingan expressed their delight in facing tough opponents.
“It’s a brilliant piece of news not just for us players but for Indian football overall that we will be playing again at the international arena,” said Sandhu, who was part of the team that faced Oman in Muscat.
“With international sports having shut down owing to the pandemic situation, I am aware as to how difficult it is to arrange matches under the current scenario. I need to thank the All India Football Federation and the coaching staff for arranging this.
“Both the matches are against very tough oppositions whom we would love to play against, and test ourselves.”
“The two friendlies happening straight ater the Indian Super League will be a big boost. Most of the boys will be in momentum and heading straight to the National camp.
“That’s what the players always love – to have that continuity heading into international football. We are all looking forward to the boys going out and giving their best,” said Sandhu.
“It’s a great piece of news which the entire nation was waiting for. It’s massive for the fans, and for us players as well as we haven’t played an international match in the last one and half years. Thanks to the AIFF for arranging this,” said Jhingan.
“It’s important for us to get back into the system of Igor Stimac, start training and improving. There are crucial games coming up in June which would be followed by the Qualifiers of the Asian Cup China 2023. The camp in March is just extra days to train and improve together as a team. I’m extremely happy,” he added.
Qatar top Group E with 16 points ahead of Oman who are four points off the pace. Afghanistan are third with four points while India are above Bangladesh in fourth place with three points.
Meanwhile, Bahrain began a training camp on Monday with 33 players reporting to Hamad Town Stadium ahead of their international friendlies against Syria and Jordan next month.