CORONADO NETS BRACE AS SHARJAH MAINTAIN PERFECT START
Sharjah continued their perfect start to the Arabian Gulf League season with a fourth consecutive victory. This time, the victims were Fujairah who were beaten 3-0 at Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium in the fourth round match of the league on Friday.
Welliton Soares’ sixth goal of the campaign gave Abdulaziz Al Anbari’s men the lead after just four minutes. Ryan Mendes’ cross from the left flank was headed across the mouth of goal by Saif Rashid and the Brazilian stabbed in from close range to open the scoring for Sharjah.
As the teams prepared to go to the dressing rooms for the half-time break, playmaker Igor Coronado danced his way past three Fujairah defenders and curled an effort from an angle into the far corner to double the King’s lead.
The former Palermo man was left with a simple finish at the hourmark after Rashid’s 40-yards run down the right wing culminated in a cross into the far post that Coronado tapped in for his second and Sharjah’s third of the evening.
The Wolves were offered a chance to get back into the game when Ibrahim Khameis was tripped inside the box 12 minutes from time, but Fernando Gabriel’s effort from the spot sailed wide.
A fourth win on the trot puts Sharjah top of the table with the full 12 points. Fujairah, meanwhile, slip to ninth with four points.
KALBA SINK AL NASR
Ittihad Kalba extended their winning run to three games on the trot as they defeated Al Nasr 3-1 at Kalba Union Sports and Cultural Club Stadium.
The game started with a bang, as Kalba opened the scoring just two minutes into the game. Matei Florentin’s powerful volley nestled into the top corner after Tommy Reyes’ initial shot from Balazs Dzsudzsak’s cross was blocked by Al Nasr’s defence.
The Blues responded in the 19th minute, when Jassim Yaqoob found Alvaro Negredo with a perfectlyweighted cross from the right wing. The Spaniard converted with a composed header, to equalise with his first Arabian Gulf League goal.
In the final moments of the first half, Hassan Khamis restored the lead for the Tigers as he pounced on a loose ball near the edge of the box and smashed it into the back of the net, after a poor clearance by Al Nasr’s goalkeeper Mohamed Yousef.
Negredo nearly completed his brace in 57th minute, when Al Husain Saleh sent an accurate low cross for the forward, who missed from point-blank.
Three minutes before the fulltime whistle, Khamis turned from scorer to producer, when he dribbled skillfully past Al Nasr’s defence and squared the ball to Mansour Al Bloushi, whose brilliant right footed shot went past Yousef, making it 3-1 for the home side.
The win takes Kalba to fifth with nine points ahead of their trip to Dubai to face Shabab Al Ahli next week. Meanwhile, Al Nasr sink to the bottom of the table with zero points and will face Dibba in the next round.
BANI YAS STUN AL WAHDA
Bani Yas maintained their unbeaten streak as they ended Al Wahda’s winning run with a 4-2 victory at Bani Yas Stadium.
Al Wahda started on the front foot, when Ismaeil Matar sent a brilliant long through pass to Mourad Batna, whose clever left footed low strike drilled into the bottom corner of Fahad Al Dhanhani’s net just 12 minutes into the game.
Bani Yas responded just four minutes after conceding, as Leroy George was left with a simple tap in after Michael Dieppa’s initial close range shot was saved by Al Wahda goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shamsi.
In the 22nd minute, Dieppa advanced forward and squared the ball to Pedro Conde near the edge of the box. The Spaniard unleashed a powerful shot that nestled into the back of Al Shamsi’s net, making it 2-1 for the home side.
Moments before the halftime whistle, George released Conde behind Al Wahda’s backline and the forward slotted the ball calmly past Al Shamsi, marking his second goal of the night.
Just four minutes into the second half, Batna doubled his tally when he converted Sautan Al Ghafri’s poor shot into the top corner with a first-time shot, reducing the deficit for the Clarets.
Al Wahda were awarded a penalty kick at the hour mark, as Sebastian Tagliabue was brought down by Hasan Al Muharrami inside the box. However, Batna’s effort from the spot was superbly saved by Al Dhanhani to deny the visitors the equaliser.
Substitute Hamad Al Ahbabi secured the full three points for the Sky Blues, when he cleverly finished Conde’s through pass into the far corner after a well-built counter attack in the dying moments of the game.
Following the win, Bani Yas remained unbeaten in the league this season, moving up to sixth place with six points ahead of their encounter against Ajman next week.
Meanwhile, Al Wahda drop points for the first time to freeze at nine points, temporarily in second place. They face Emirates Club in matchweek 5.