Emirates fail to capitalise on chances

Abu Dhabi Sharjah failed to claw out of the relegation zone when they settled for a 1-1 tie with Emirates at home Tuesday to stay at 11th place with 10 points, one point less than their opponents.

Emirates were simply the better team in the game doing all the attacking and possession of the ball while Sharjah, who scored their goal from a rare rebounding chance in the 20th minute by Edinho, failed to defend their slim lead. While retreating from attacks, Sharjah gave their visitors open spaces to build their attacking moves and control the midfield.

Emirates went all out from the word go and they lost many sitters by Modibo Diarra, Mohsin Mutoualli, Alexander and Jasur Khasanov.

The home team started the second half defending with only Marcelo in the frontline among four defenders as Emirates continued their attack.

Missed opportunities

Alexander saw in disbelief his resounding shot from outside the box rebounding from the upright in the 58th minute then Diarra lost another chance followed by Mutoualli and then Khasanov before Alexander placed home the equalizer in the 76th minute from a cross by Diarra in the right flank.

Emirates continued to press forward but they did not score another goal as both teams lost a sitter in the last minutes of the encounter.

The draw is more like a moral victory for Emirates, who kept themselves afloat above the relegation zone but it must tasted as bitter as defeat to Sharjah who have a glorious history and past achievement of four league titles and a record eight Presidents Cup titles.

See also Page 40