Dubai: Asamoah Gyan struck deep into injury time to help Al Ahli bag temporary bragging rights with a 3-2 win over arch-rivals and neighbours Al Shabab, after Kalba and Al Jazira had entered the winners’ bracket in third round action of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Thursday.

The late night win allowed Al Ahli to leapfrog their opponents on a better goal difference and occupy the top spot in Group B, both teams now with six points from three matches.

With the match seemingly headed towards a 2-2 stalemate, Gyan got his fourth goal in all competitions for the Red Knights as he rose to nod in the winner two minutes into extra time.

Expectedly, action was intense from the start as the arch-rivals tried asserting their dominance. By the end of the opening quarter the two teams had scored once each with both goals coming from the spot.

Al Shabab took the lead in the very third minute from an Henrique Luvannor penalty after Mohammad Jaber brought down Mohammad Ayed as the home defender advanced for a header. Unperturbed, Al Ahli kept their cool and came closest in the ninth minute when Everton Ribeiro let fly a volley, only to see goalkeeper Hassan Hamza fling himself and keep Al Shabab in the lead.

But the visitors did not have to wait for long for an equaliser as linesman Talal Al Nuaimi erroneously ruled that Luvannor had handled the ball while defending against Ribeiro. Rodrigo Lima slammed in the resultant penalty to restore parity.

Fleet-footed Rashid Hassan nearly gave the home side the lead in the 21st minute but his placement narrowly evaded both, the reach of goalkeeper Saif Yousuf and the upright. Al Ahli continued pressing and were rewarded with the lead for the first time as Asamoah Gyan scored only his third goal since joining the Red Knights while slipping in to meet a dainty overhead pass from Ribeiro in the 35th minute.

Al Shabab opened up the game in the second half and got an equaliser a minute after the hour as Luvannor got his brace curling in a low shot past Yousuf after playing a fine one-two with Dawood Ali to tie the two teams. But Gyan had other ideas as he rose high to head in the winner.

Meanwhile in earlier matches, Kalba earned their first points of the competition with a comfortable 2-0 win against ten-man Bani Yas, while Al Jazira left it late for a gutsy 2-1 result against Group A leaders Al Dhafra.

Languishing at the bottom of Group B with no points to show till now, Kalba scored once in each half through Hamad Abdul Rahman and Bakary Kone and ease their way to their first points of the competition in Group B, while Al Jazira bagged two goals in the final ten minutes for a hard-fought 2-1 win against group leaders Al Dhafra.

RESULTS

Al Shabab x Al Ahli 2-3

Bani Yas x Kalba 0-2

Al Dhafra x Al Jazira 1-2