Dubai: One-time challengers Al Shabab crashed to their third successive defeat in the Arabian Gulf League when they went down 1-2 to Al Nasr in Dubai late on Friday.
Stranded on 42 points for the past two weeks now, Al Shabab followed up their defeats against Dubai Club and Al Wahda with yet another dismal showing.
However, the result did not have much bearing on the overall standings at the top as Al Shabab continued in second with 42 points leaving Sharjah within striking distance in third place with 39 points following their 3-1 win over Bani Yas also on Friday.
Al Nasr, meanwhile, improved their position from seventh while displacing Al Wahda in fifth position with 38 points.
Coming to the rescue of Al Nasr was a couple of opportunistic strikes on either side of half-time. First, it was UAE national team member Habib Al Fardan pouncing on a loose ball to place past Esmail Rabea one minute before the break.
And then, Ebrahima Toure ensured full points for the home side when he probed home from close in the 78th minute. Brazilian Edgar Bruno Da Silva had given the visitors the lead in the 25th minute when his shot on goal got deflected over a stranded Ahmad Shambieh on the Al Nasr goal.
Al Shabab tried their best to force at least a draw but their Uzbek playmaker Azizbek Hydarov got a second yellow card and had to proceed for an early shower. After that it was an uphill task for Al Shabab and they did well to contain the home team strike-force.
The Arabian Gulf League will now take a two-week break and return for the final three weeks from April 27.
Result:
Al Nasr x Al Shabab 2-1
