Dubai: Al Jazira rode on an injury period strike from Jucilei da Silva for a 3-2 win to earn full points against Bani Yas, while Al Wasl survived anxious moments at the end before returning with an identical 3-2 win over Emirates Club in early matches in the tenth week of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) on Friday.
Down on two occasions, Bani Yas managed to draw level and hold on till a 93rd minute decider from da Silva fetched Al Jazira vital points to keep the pressure on league leaders Al Wahda. Al Wasl, meanwhile, continued with their mid-table climb following a narrow 3-2 away win to Emirates Club.
With two more late matches to be played later on Friday, Al Wahda is at the top of the standings with 22 points following their 2-1 win against Al Dhafra on Thursday, followed by Al Jazira in second with 21 points and Al Shabab in third with 19.
Mirko Vucinic put Al Jazira ahead in the 28th minute only to see Denis Stracqualursi draw level two minutes from the half-time whistle. Manuel Lanzini restored the lead for the home team in the 51st minute, but the diminutive Haboush Saleh brought the two teams on parity in the 54th minute.
However, da Silva broke Bani Yas hearts as he scored deep into injury period to held Al Jazira walk away with all three points.
In Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wasl nearly bungled for the second time in as many weeks as they held on to a 3-2 win against Emirates Club. Last week, Al Wasl had squandered a 2-0 lead before settling for a 2-2 draw against Al Shabab.
And yesterday the match looked pretty much headed the same way as Al Wasl conceded two goals in the 88th minute and then held on for dear life for full minutes.