Al Wasl rally past Shabab
dubai — Al Wasl put themselves on course for an AFC Champions League spot with a come-frombehind victory over Al Shabab in the penultimate round of the Arabian Gulf League.
Ali Saleh Ali scored in stoppage time as The Cheetahs edged past The Hawks 2-1 at the Zabeel Stadium on Thursday night.
The victory, Al Wasl’s 16th and their ninth at home helped them leapfrog Al Ahli into second place on the League table.
It will represent their best finish since the League turned professional in 2008. Their previous best was fifth place finishes in the 200809 and 2009-10 seasons.
Pertinently, a win over Hatta in their final fixture of the season will help Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s men secure an AFC Champions League berth for next season. The last time Al Wasl contested the Asian competition was in 2008 after they had won the UAE League in 2007.
And Arruabarrena, their Argentine coach has been rewarded for that, with a contract extension.
Al Wasl are on 54 points, while Al Ahli are a point behind in 53. And it is set to be an interesting final fixtures of the season with Al Ain too in the mix, placed fourth on 52 points.
In hindsight, Al Ahli’s stalemate to Ittihad Kalba away could prove costly for the Red Knights. That result has allowed Al Wasl a peek at second spot and automatic qualification for the continental competition.
Al Ahli are not out of it just yet but face competition from Al Ain for the remaining automatic spot. The Al Quasis club are at home to relegated Bani Yas in the final round, while Al Ain host Ittihad Kalba at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Meanwhile, Al Shabab will finish the season in eighth after logging 29 points and even a win in the final round will not help them catch up with Al Dhafra, who are on 35 points.
It was a tepid first half with play confined to midfield with both teams closing out the spaces and keeping adequate numbers. But things were to change after the break and Al Shabab, buoyed after halting their seven-match winless streak last time out against Al Dhafra, broke the deadlock on 54 minutes. Saad Khamis Saad set up Mohammad Juma following a pass from Hassan Ibrahim and Juma just had the goalkeeper Humaid Abdulla to beat.
Al Wasl responded with Ronaldo Mendes getting the equaliser on 70 minutes from a freekick. And with five minutes added on, Ali Saleh Ali headed it past shot stopper Salem Abdulla after Caio Canedo had initially botched up his header.
james@khaleejtimes.com