Dubai: Bani Yas came out as the biggest winners even as the two heavyweights from Abu Dhabi only managed to split points at the end of the fourth round action in the etisalat pro league last week.
They floored newcomers Ittihad Kalba 4-2 on Sunday evening, after the other two Abu Dhabi clubs — Al Wahda and Al Jazira — had managed to snatch a vital point each along the course of the week.
Bani Yas now sit pretty at the top of the 12-team standings with nine points, while Al Wasl are a close second, also with nine points to their credit.
Holders Al Wahda travelled well and picked up a point against strong contenders Al Ain, while Al Jazira relied on a last-gasp free kick conversion from Subait Khatir against ten-man Al Ahli to return home with at least a point.
Another big winner was Dubai's Al Nasr Club as they scampered home with their second win on the trot — this time a 3-2 result against another Dubai side Al Shabab — thanks mainly to a brace from new signing Esmail Banghoura and another one from Carlos Tenorio.
Al Nasr had had a disastrous start to the season with two identical 3-0 losses against Al Ain and Al Jazira. But Helios dos Santos' boys have done well to stabilise their performances with six points in their last two encounters — a 3-1 win against bottom-placed Dubai Club followed by Sunday's result against Al Shabab.
Far from the spotlight, Sharjah Club relied on a final minute strike from their highest scorer Marcelinho to bag full points against winless newcomers Dubai Club on Friday.
All credit to the Manuel Cajuda-trained boys from Sharjah as they persisted till the end to be rewarded with a snap goal from their Brazilian striker that eventually denied Dubai their first point of this season.
