Dubai: Winter signing Makhete Diop and skipper Ahmad Khalil scored a brace each to help defending champions Al Ahli to a 4-1 thumping of neighbours Al Shabab and maintain pressure on the top two in 18th round action of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL), late on Friday.
The 28-year-old Senegalese striker, who transferred to the Red Knights from Al Dhafra at the end of last year, scored in the 65th and 70th minutes to gain bragging rights over arch-rivals Al Shabab in the Deira derby.
Till Diop’s brace the match had been evenly poised, thanks to two penalty kicks - Henrique Luvannor cancelling out Ahmad Khalil’s goal. But it was Diop who brought things back to life in an otherwise drab encounter with his two quick goals.
The lanky striker first tapped in a misdirected corner from a very tight angle in the 65th minute, and five minutes later, snatched a slow back pass and tap into an empty net. Khalil bagged his second on the night following a quick counter-attack in the 88th minute that saw the UAE national team striker come up with an easy tap to the far right of Salem Abdullah on the Al Shabab goal.
The win puts the defending champions back on track as they continue their chase of top two – Al Jazira and Al Wasl. The Pride of Abu Dhabi had also garnered full points earlier on Friday with a 3-1 win over bottom-placed Bani Yas, while Al Wasl had taken three points with a 2-1 away win against Sharjah late on Thursday.
RESULT
Al Ahli x Al Shabab 4-1
