Al Ahli trounce Al Jazira to post seventh successive win
After seeing his side outclassed, Braga says rebuilding will continue
Al Ahli were content not just with the win but the manner in which they dismantled the mighty Al Jazira in their ninth round encounter of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) late on Monday.
On level terms 1-1 at the end of the first half, the Red Knights scored two quick goals early in the second and then added a late third to trounce mighty Al Jazira, the pride of Abu Dhabi, 4-1.
Rodrigo Lima opened the score for the home side from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, while Al Jazira got an equaliser three minutes from the halftime whistle when Khamis Esmail curled in a lovely free kick.
Al Ahli scored two goals within nine minutes — Walid Abbas deftly lobbing a dainty chip from Ribeiro in the 48th minute and Al Hammadi unleashing a stinging drive in the 57th — to quell the Al Jazira challenge. Everton Ribeiro then completed the scoring from a narrow angle after being put through by Majid Hassan in the 78th minute.
Despite Al Ahli’s clean record of seven wins from seven, it is Al Ain who are at the top of the standings with 22 points following seven wins, a draw and a loss after nine rounds.
Al Jazira coach Abel Braga refused to give up. He insisted that the team is in a rebuilding phase. “Such results are going to happen. That does not mean we stop our work. We were playing the second best team in Asia, but there are positives that we can take from this match,” Braga said.
“We are in a rebuilding process and we will need some time to get through this moment. Till then, we will continue our philosophy and stay positive,” the Brazilian added.