Al Jazira win third Arabian Gulf League title
Shabab Al Ahli’s 3-2 win against Al Nasr saw them pip Sharjah to third spot in the table and claim the 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying spot. Sharjah finished fourth ater a 1-0 defeat to Kalba
Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and minister of presidential affairs, has lauded Al Jazira on securing the Arabian Gulf League title.
Al Jazira were crowned 2020-2021 Arabian Gulf League champions ater beating Khorfakkan 3-1 at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in the final matchweek on Tuesday.
Oumar Traore struck twice and Ali Mabkhout got on the scoresheet too as the Pride of Abu Dhabi claimed a decisive win to earn their third league title and their first since the 2016-17 season. They finished off the season with 57 points, three clear of second-placed Bani Yas who were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Wahda.
Club president Sheikh Mansour posted on social media: ““My sincere congratulations to the fans of Al Jazira Club, the board of directors, the technical staff and the players, on the occasion of winning the Arabian Gulf League, and I hope that this coronation represents a promising start for the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ to achieve more titles, in response to the great ambitions of the club and its fans.”
Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the UAE Football Association, gave the trophy to the Al Jazira club members following an exhilarating title race which boiled down to the final match of the season.
Also present was Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Vice President of Al Jazira Club, chairman of the Board executive commitee.
The title win comes ater the club beat Khor Fakkan by 3-1 at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium as club captain Ali Khaseif raised the trophy.
Topping the table with 57 points, this is Al Jazira’s first title win since 2016-2017 and sees the club end the season on 57 points.
Led by Dutch manager Marcel Keizer, the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ trophy comes on the heels of a riveting season by the youngest team in the league that put on excellent performances, scoring 65 goals and conceding just 29 in 26 matches. Over 23 players played the season in total. Tuesday’s achievement is a result of their hard work, dedication and sacrifice from day one to the final whistle.
Thanks to his 25 goals, Mabkhout snatched the title of the golden boot winner. He now stands just four goals away from becoming the all-time top scorer in the league’s history.
Bani Yas draw with Al Wahda, setle for second place: Bani Yas went into the game knowing they will need a helping hand from Khorfakkan for a chance to lit their first-ever league title, considering they defeat Al Wahda at home.
Daniel Isaila’s men couldn’t break the deadlock until ater the break. The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 54th minute, and Gaston Suarez stepped up to score from the spot.
Bani Yas’s lead was shorted-lived as in-form forward Omar Khribin equalized for Al Wahda on 68 minutes to complicate the hosts’ slim title chances, as Al Jazira were already leading at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
Bani Yas finished off the season with a tally of 54 points, only three behind the champions. Al Wahda have 37 points and still have a game in hand as they will be facing relegated Fujairah in a postponed game on Saturday.
KALBA EARN FIRST WIN OVER SHARJAH: DEFEND-ing champions Sharjah finished off the season in fourth place with 48 points ater losing 1-0 to Itihad Kalba in the final match week.
Ater finishing fourth, Sharjah missed out on the chance to secure qualification for the AFC Champions League next season. Meanwhile, Kalba are in seventh place with 39 points, two clear of Al Wahda.
Peniel Mlapa neted the winning goal in the 17th minute to hand Kalba their first-ever win over Sharjah in the Arabian Gulf League. Sharjah emerged winners six times, while they played out three draws in their previous 9 meetings.
SHABAB AL AHLI FINISH THIRD: Shabab Al Ahli secured their qualification for the AFC Champions League next season ater beating Al Nasr 3-2 at Al Maktoum Stadium.
The win put Shabab Al Ahli in third place with 50 points, four clear of Al Nasr who setled for a fith-place finish.
ALA IN DEFEAT RELEGATED HATTA: Al A in ended their 2020-21 Arabian Gulf League campaign in sixth place ater defeating already-relegated Hata 1-0 at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in match week 26 on Tuesday.
The win let Al Ain in sixth place with 41 points. Meanwhile, hat a, who were already relegated to the First Division, finished off the season at rock botom with 12 points only. Al Ain took a 1-0 lead into the break, thanks to Caio Canedo’s 31st-minute goal.
AJMAN IN SAFE ZONE: Ajman secured their Arabian Gulf League status for another season with a 2-1 away win over rivals Fujairah.
Although Fujairah still have a game in hand against Al Wahda, they won’t be able to overtake Ajman due to their head-to-head record and will join Hata in the First Division.
Ajman took the lead only 13 minutes into the game, thanks to an own goal from Hamdan Nasser. Firas Belarbi neted the equalizer in the 37th minute, as they headed into the break leveled at 1-1.
Brazilian midfielder Leandro snatched the winning goal four minutes from time to guide Ajman to Arabian Gulf League safety.