Al Wasl maintains UFL leadership

Abu Dhabi: Al Wasl maintained their sole leadership of the UAE Pro-League (UFL) after beating Ittihad Kalba 2-1.

Al Jazira follow in second place after defeating Al Dhafrah by a single goal.

The two top teams will face each other next week at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium on Friday.

Al Wasl found the going tough against lowly Ittihad Kalba who may have felt hard done by following a number of controversial off-side decisions that robbed them of the chance to score.

Similar defending by the leaders against Al Jazira could put them under pressure with Al Jazira boasting a number of players who can penetrate the off-side trap. Spaniard Francisco Yeste and Brazilian Alexander Oliveira continued to shine for Al Wasl and scored the two goals.

The leaders were given an early boost when the referee awarded them a penalty after only 41 seconds of play.

However, in the second half they suffered greatly with a number of wide inroads appearing in their defence. It was only a combination of haste, lack of concentration and some bizarre refereeing decisions that deprived Ittihad Kalba of winning a second point.

Al Jazira, meanwhile, needed the outstanding capabilities of their captain Ebrahima Diaky to emerge winners against Al Dhafrah.

The gifted midfielder has turned into a goal-getter in the last two matches, grabbing three goals, all from long range shots.

Bani Yas with their squad of young talented players are the team of the week.

Bright future

They trounced Al Ain 3-0 and advanced to third place. With five players from the club in the UAE under-23 national team, the future seems bright for the team. Al Ain, meanwhile, are still fielding the younger team in the UFL with an average age of only 20 years.

Reigning champions Al Wahda won the points against Al Nasr and lost their head coach Tite who resigned to go back home to Brazil to guide Corinthians.

Al Shabab jumped to seventh place after trouncing Sharjah 3-0.

Al Ahli defeated Dubai and increased their tally to 11 points in fifth place, continuing their slow but sure climbing up the standings.

Al Dhafrah, Al Nasr, Al Ittihad and Dubai, meanwhile, are facing the relegation zone.

They need to start winning points soon.

Senghor supreme

Abu Dhabi Senegalese Andre Senghor of Bani Yas continued to lead the top scorers of the UFL after his brace against his former team Al Ain took him to eight goals in six matches.

Last season's top scorer Argentinian Jose Sand of Al Ain and Brazilian Marcelo of Sharjah failed to score in the last two weeks.

They still have five goals with Yeste, the Spanish midfielder of Al Wasl, and Brazilians Fernando Baiano of Al Wahda and Pinga of Al Ahli, joining them in second place. In third place are Diaky and Ahmad Khamis.