Mohammad presents President’s Cup to Al Wahda
Brace helps side lift President’s Cup thanks to storming 3-0 win over Al Nasr
Al Wahda scored three goals in 14 devastating second-half minutes to clinch the President’s Cup against 10-man Al Nasr at Zayed Sports City yesterday.
Hungarian midfielder Balazs Dzsudzsak scored a brace while Tareq Ahmad completed the tally for the winners in the 3-0 rout. With this win, Al Wahda ended their 17-year title drought and also earned a spot in the 2018 AFC Champions League.
It was a 6.15pm kick-off but the conditions were extremely hot and humid. Understandably the first part of play was mainly confined to midfield duel and half-hearted efforts.
And the contest that was tipped as a clash of equals really looked like one, as neither side could gain an upper hand.
No clear cut opportunities for either sides, to say the least. A half chance for Al Nasr came in the 26th minute. A dipping cross from Abdelaziz Barrada from the right flank left the Al Wahda goalkeeper Rashed Al Suwaidi in two minds and he eventually had to scramble to keep it out.
For Wahda the closest of chance came in the 35th minute. Argentinian striker Sebastian Tagliabue could have put them in the lead off a corner from old warhorse Ismaeil Matar. Al Nasr goalkeeper Ahmed Shampi couldn’t make a neat clearance of Matar’s release and Tagliabue did well to chest it down but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
The teams went into the breather without disturbing the scoreboard and by the time they took to the field again, the floodlights had taken centrestage.
The match picked up pace only after His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council arrived to watch the match.
From then on both teams showed some urgency in their play but it needed a penalty to break the deadlock.
Pin point accuracy
In the 68th minute, a Matar through ball found Khalil Ibrahim, who then found Tagliabue, but the latter’s surge was stopped by the outstretched hands of a floored Masoud Suliman and the referee pointed to the spot. It was Suliman’s second yellow for the evening and he was given his marching orders leaving Al Nasr to fight it out with 10-men.
Dzsudzsak’s attempt from the spot was denied by the keeper and the post but he kept his composure and shot home on the rebound.
Two minutes later, a pumped up Al Wahda doubled the lead as Ahmed got into the scoring act. After playing a give and take with Dzsudzsak he made a threatening run before a deflection from a defender saw the ball land at his feet and he shot home with pin point accuracy.
Then came the best goal of the evening, a 35-yard thunder bolt from Dzsudzsak which took the wind completely out of the sails of Al Nasr. The President’s Cup was Al Wahda’s.