Al Wahda win Abu Dhabi Derby to keep hopes alive

Abu Dhabi: Al Wahda emerged 2-1 winners in the Abu Dhabi Derby, beating traditional rivals Al Jazira late on Monday night.

Al Wahda were fighting for survival in the First Division and to ensure a place in next season's new Professional League, while Al Jazira were fighting to stay in the hunt for the title.

The result renewed Al Wahda's chances of staying in the elite league, even as it dented the hopes of their rivals to win the league title for the first time.

Al Wahda are 10th with 18 points from as many matches, 4 above the relegation zone, while Al Jazira stayed second with 32 points from 19 matches, 3 behind leaders Al Shabab.

It was Al Wahda's first victory since January 27 when they beat Al Ain and their fourth win only in the competition this season.

Mathematical chance

"Mathematically, we still have a chance to win the league. There are three matches remaining and anything can happen. But we squandered away a good chance because now we will have to depend upon other teams to serve our cause by stopping both Al Shabab and Al Ahli," Rashid Abdul Rahman, the Al Jazira libero, told Gulf News after the match.

The match was a close, competitive affair with both teams playing an open game in their quest to win three valuable points.

Ladislau Boloni, the head coach of Al Jazira, applied a new 3:5:2 formation that helped control the midfield, but Al Wahda played their best-ever league game - even though a defensive error resulted in an own goal by Hamdan Al Kamali in the 26th minute. Al Kamali back-headed an Abdul Salam Jumaa cross into his own goal.

Fast recovery

Al Wahda recovered fast from the shock of the own goal and pressed for the equaliser which came in the injury time of the first half, when youngster Eisa Ahmad rose above all the opponent defenders to head home Pinga's cross.

It was also during the injury time of the second half that substitute Mohammad Al Shehhi, who did not start the match for the first time, scored the all-important goal, heading home a Pinga flag-kick.

Al Jazira suffered a double blow in the game. Apart from the defeat, they will also have to do without the services of their dynamic pivot Abdul Salam who was sent off during injury time for a rough tackle on Pinga.

Salam was the eldest of the three Jumaa brothers who took part in Monday's game. Younger brother Ahmad played for Al Jazira against their old club and the other brother Abdul Rahim.