Abu Dhabi: Al Dafrah, battling to avoid relegation, once again put up a spirited performance to beat Al Jazira 2-1 at their home ground the Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium on Saturday.
Last week they stunned Al Shabab by a similar margin and this time it was the turn of the Pride of Abu Dhabi to be at the receiving end.
The win took Al Dafrah to 12 points and 12th place at the end of the first phase of the season, while while Jazira have 14 points and are struggling in 10th spot. The result was another huge blow for Al Jazira who have struggled all through the season.
Al Jazira tested Al Dhafra custodian Abdullah Sultan with a power-packed shot along the ground from Sultan Al Shamsi in the 16th minute. However, Sultan came up with a timely block to thwart the danger.
The home side went on to take the lead in the 21st minute after Al Jazira custodian Khalid Al Senaani failed to clear a high ball. The ball landed straight at the foot of Abdul Rahim Jumaa, who despite having three defenders in front of him, managed to squeeze his low shot into the goal.
The lead, however, lasted for not more than 10 minutes as Al Jazira equalised through a penalty.
Saif Mohammad brought down Khalfan Mubarak, who was trying to turn after trapping a long ball inside the box, and referee Yaseen Al Mansouri had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Brazilian Tiago Nerves, who stepped up to take the spot kick, did not miss out on the opportunity.
The hosts, however, did not give Al Jazira any respite as they immediately struck back in the 38th minute to restore their lead. It was a similar offence and again a penalty was awarded after Makhete Diop was pulled by Salim Rashid as he was reaching out for a high ball inside the box. Diop then took the onus on himself to convert the award and Dhafra again led by a goal.
Trailing, Al Jazira were forced to push up in the second-half while the hosts were content to stay on the defensive. But with almost every Al Dhafra player sitting back, Al Jazira struggled to penetrate and Al Dhafra held on to their one-goal advantage till the final whistle.
In another encounter, Dibba thrashed 10-man Sharjah 4-1. Tareq Ahmed, Bakary Kone, Boris Kabi (penalty) and Ali Mohammad scored a goal apiece for the winners, while Wanderley Santos scored the consolation goal for Dibba. Meanwhile, Al Wasl rallied from a goal down to split points in the Dubai derby with Al Shabab, which ended 1-1 on Friday. Luvannor Henrique put Al Shabab in the lead while Fabio de Lima stole the equaliser for Al Wasl, who have 22 points and are currently in fourth place. Al Shabab, with 20 points, are in fifth position.
