Marcos Paqueta brimming with confidence

Dubai: Al Shabab coach Marcos Paqueta was left brimming with delight for the future after seeing his second-string side fight back from a 3-1 win over strugglers Ittihad Kalba in the 24th week action of the UAE Etisalat Pro-League late on Thursday.

“We were a bit disorganised in possession and looked a bit rushed in the first half. But in the second half, we were very courageous and the players fought until the end to convert [their chances] and have a result in our favour,” Paqueta said after Thursday’s match, which saw Al Shabab remain in sixth position with 39 points.

“Generally we’re very happy with the result and the performances of the young players and we got what we expected from this game. We’re not worried a lot about strategies because it’s almost a new team played and this was due to our situation we’re playing under the pressure of games. We’re resting players and giving others a chance to perform and to prepare them for the future,” he added.

Resting his key players due to next Wednesday’s AFC Champions League match against Group D winners Al Esteghlal of Iran, Paqueta’s team went 1-0 down after Abdul Aziz Esmail scored for the visitors in the 32nd minute.

But Al Shabab regrouped well in the second half and got two goals within four minutes, substitute Sanad Ali equalising in the 63rd minute. Essa Obaid headed in a cross four minutes later and Man of the Match Rashid Hassan secured a third in the 72nd minute, Al Shabab clinched all three points and condemned Ittihad Kalba to a likely relegation.

In other matches, the biggest upsets of the week came when relegation-threatened Dibba Fujairah scored a stunning 1-0 win over second-place Al Ahli. Brazilian Alexander Medeiros was the match-winner in the 18th minute, while Ajman secured a 2-1 win over Al Nasr.

Al Wahda claimed 2-1 win over Al Dhafra to remain in seventh place with 35 points behind Al Shabab (39 pts), Al Jazira’s Brazilian strikers Ricardo Oliveira and Fernandinho secured a 2-0 win over Al Shaab and Ajman surprised Al Nasr 2-0, while Al Wasl earned full points with a 3-1 win over Dubai Club.

The results witnessed just a couple of sides changing their positions in the 14-team table. Al Jazira displaced Bani Yas – scheduled to play champions Al Ain on Sunday – in third place and Al Wasl moved up one place into eighth.