Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Al Wahda win
NEWLY FORMED CLUB MADE TO SWEAT BY MINNOWS HATTA
trong contenders Shabab Al Ahli Dubai and Al Wahda registered full points in contrasting manner in the opening week of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) in early matches yesterday.
Al Wahda banked on a hat-trick from their Argentinian scoring machine Sebastian Tagliabue while Khalid Bawazir and Mohammad Al Sheh’hi added one each for an emphatic 5-0 thrashing of Dibba, while newly formed Shabab Al Ahli Dubai fought back from a goal down to register a 4-1 win against visiting Hatta.
The 32-year-old striker from Buenos Aires scored in the 15th, 38th and 48th minute to help Al Wahda run away with full points in Abu Dhabi after Shabab Al Ahli Dubai had been made to wait for full points by a tenacious Hatta in the Dubai encounter.
Clawing their way to a 1-1 stalemate against Al Wahda in their first match-ever as a club last week, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai had a fair share of the early exchanges without any serious threat on goal. Henrique Luvannor ruffled things up in the very first minute sending in a cross only for Makhete Diop to head wide.
Taking the lead
Relying on the quick counters, Hatta got lucky in the 17th minute when the ball accidentally touched the hand of a sprawled Salmeen Khamis and Samuel Rosa coolly slammed home from the resultant penalty to give the visitors the lead. After a few minutes of disbelief, the home side started getting their act together while pressing for an equaliser. Al Wahda 5 Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 4
Easy tap in
Dibba Hatta 0 1
After constantly probing the rival defence, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai finally drew level two minutes from half-time when Diop slipped through the off-side trap controlled well and slotted low to the left of Obaid Thani for the equaliser.
The home team was more focused in the second half and that was seen when they went clear just three minutes after the restart. De Vincenti floated in a free kick goalwards and Luvannor got a nick off his head, only to see goalkeeper Thani spill the ball into an onrushing Marzouq for an easy tapin.
Diop got his second of the evening when a stray deflection landed at his feet and the Senegalese striker instantly dispatched it to the far corner, while De Vincenti completed the scoring three minutes from the end when his low volley found the far corner of the goal.