Dubai: Al Ahli left it late for a convincing 2-1 win over neighbours and arch-rivals Al Shabab to reclaim their position at the top of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) late on Friday.
After playing out a goalless first half, Al Ahli opened the score through Ahmad Khalil in the very first minute of the second half and then Brazilian Ciel assured the home side of full points as he slammed one in from close range in the 72nd minute.
After the second goal it looked like a tough ask from the visiting Al Shabab as they were reduced to nine men following red cards to Mahmoud Qasim (53rd minute) and skipper Carlos Villanueva (74th). But the Hawks fought and managed to pull one back in the 83rd minute when Hassan Ebrahim pushed one in following a corner.
The win took the Red Knights to 53 points after 21 rounds and five still to play. Al Ain had temporarily secured the top place with a 4-2 win against Bani Yas earlier in the evening.
The defending champions still continue in second, just one point away from the leaders, while the fight for third place continued heating up with Al Wasl (35 points), Al Wahda (35) and Al Nasr (33) aiming for the third spot that will give them a place in next year’s Asian Champions League.
The game assumed even more significance after the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) had decreed that Al Shabab would be replacing Al Ahli in the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup against Al Wahda.
The first half was evenly balanced with Al Ahli enjoying a better share of the exchanges while the visitors relied on some quick counters. After missing a couple of chances early, Al Ahli came closest in the 25th minute when an Abdul Aziz Al Haikal cross found Ahmad Sangoor heading out with no one on him.
The second half started on an exciting note with Khalil darting in through the middle of the Al Shabab defence to prod home a low cross from Ciel.
After that, Al Shabab lost Qasim to a second yellow card. But the visitors continued to stick to their organization in the defence. However, Al Ahli got a second goal through Ciel in the 72nd minute and that broke their resistance. Two minutes later Villanueva saw red for a second offence and the task looked tough.
But never ones to give up, Al Shabab managed to pull back a goal eight minutes from the final whistle when Ebrahim smashed one into the roof of the net following a well taken corner.
Result
Al Ahli x Al Shabab 2-1
