THE WEEK THAT WAS

*Hero to Villain: Australian Dino Dulpic, who was re-signed by his old club Al Wahda to replace injured Kuwaiti defender Hussain Fadhil, turned from hero to villain in his first match against Emirates on Thursday. Dulpic scored Al Wahda’s only goal but then scored an own goal to help Emirates win 2-1. However, TV replays showed that the goal should have been disallowed because of a clear offside.

*Malulla vs Malulla: Ahmad Malulla, the Dubai defender, was sent off for a professional foul against his namesake, Ahmad Malulla, the striker of Bani Yas.

*Sweet revenge: On September 27 last year, Al Wahda trounced Emirates 4-0 after leading 3-0 within the first nine minutes. Emirates avenged that last week by coming from behind to beat Al Wahda 2-1, scoring their two goals within three minutes.

*Custodian of the Week: Mohammad Ali Gholom, the Al Dhafra goalkeeper, was in an outstanding form against Al Ain and saved many dangerous attempts. He is one main reasons for his team snatching a point from the defending champions.

*Unsporting Act of the Week: Ali Abbas, the Al Dhafra midfielder, deliberately stepped on Omar Abdul Rahman, the Al Ain midfielder, while he was lying on the ground after an injury. Both the referee and his assistant did not see the incident.

*Refereeing Blunder of the Week: Abdul Wahid Khater and his assistant cancelled a goal for Esmail Ahmad, the Al Ain defender, in the 94th minute because of offside while he was in fact on-side.

*Tomorrow’s News: Al Nasr and Al Jazira will swap Hassan Amin, Al Nasr’s left wingback, with Ali Al Ameri, the Al Jazira central defender.