Bani Yas thrash struggling Dibba; Sharjah trounce Emirates
DUBAI: Pedro Conde netted a hattrick as Bani Yas thrashed Dibba 6-1 at Bani Yas Stadium in matchweek 13 of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) on Thursday.
The Sky Blues, who wanted to keep the momentum going from their 3-0 win over Shabab Al Ahli in the preview matchweek, started the game fiercely.
The hosts threatened to score an early goal when Suhail Saeed cut inside and sent the ball to Michael Dieppa, whose right-footed strike from outside the box missed the target by a narrow range.
Dibba, on the other hand, are in a dire need of a win. However, things got complicated more complicated for the Sailors as they were brought down to 10 men in the 34th minute. Abdulrahim Ali got sent to an early shower after his tackle on Leroy George just outside the penalty area.
Seven minutes later, Conde broke the deadlock for the Sky Blues. The Spaniard smashed Saeed’s defencesplitting low cross into the top of Abdulla Al Nasri’s net to give his side a 1-0 advantage ahead of halftime.
The second half was a different story as Bani Yas found the back of the net five times while Dibba netted only one goal.
Just three minutes after the restart, Salim Al Hammadi went up the right flank before sending a ground cross inside the box. Conde squared the ball calmly to Saeed, who finished it easily into the back of the net.
Conde was once again at heart of attack for the Sky Blues, when he doubled his tally in the 64th minute. The Spanish forward dribbled skillfully past Al Nasri and slotting the ball into the empty net.
In the 73rd minute, Juma Choka reduced the deficit for the away side, as he converted Yaseen Al Bakheet’s ground cross from a close range, making it 3-1.
Bani Yas responded immediately, when Haboosh Al Nofeli advanced towards the box and found Conde in space. The forward drilled the ball into the bottom corner, marking his third goal of the night. To rub salt into the opposition’s wound, George added his side’s fifth goal with 10 minutes to go.
AJMAN HELD
Elsewhere, Al Dhafra held Ajman to a goalless draw at Rashid Bin Saeed Stadium on Thursday.
After a slow start, the Oranges came close to opening the scoring in the 44th minute, when Stanley Ohawuchi released Mame Thiam with a well-placed through pass, however, Khaled Al Senaani saved the Senegalese’s effort cleverly.
Al Dhafra responded in the final seconds of the first half, as Diego Rodrigues was brought down inside the box, compelling the referee to point to the spot and award the visitors a penalty kick.
Ali Al Hosani saved Romulo Souza’s low strike from the spot to deny the Western Knights from taking the lead ahead of the break.
In the 65th minute, Adil Hermach controlled the ball near the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful strike that was parried away by Al Senaani into a corner kick.
Around the 80 minute mark, Ohawuchi wasted a glorious chance after his header from Vander Vieira’s crossed freekick went just wide off the right post.
SHARJAH WIN
In another match, table-toppers Sharjah routed Emirates 4-0 to extend their lead.
A resurgent Sharjah are having a stellar season as they are still unbeaten and have already accumulated 34 points with 10 victories and four draws from their 14 games.
They are closely followed by second place Al Ain, who are busy in their Club World Cup campaign.
After the defeat, Emirates have plunged into deeper crisis as they are battling for their survival in the top flight following a miserable season.
They have just nine points from their 10 games. They have been lucky onlytwooccasionsandlostninematches so far with three draws.