Dubai: Al Wahda and Kalba helped themselves to full points with victories in the early Round 2 matches of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) on Friday.
New Brazilian signing Leonardo de Souza scored one and set up two as Al Wahda asserted themselves early at the top of the 14-team standings with a 4-1 drubbing of Dibba, while newly promoted Kalba secured a comfortable 2-0 result against Emirates Club to pick up their first points of their campaign.
After the opening round held on the last two days of August, it had been Al Wahda being joined by Sharjah, Al Wasl, Al Ain, Al Jazira and Ajman with maximum three points each. But yesterday’s early games ensured Al Wahda sole temporary leadership with six points against their name and a much better goal difference of six goals.
In a match between non-equals, it was Dibba who created a flutter when Ahmad Khamis headed in a Yaseen Mahmoud cross in the very fourth minute. But their lead was short-lived as Mourad Batna sweetly turned in a corner kick on the 13th minute with no one marking him at the far post.
After that it was Al Wahda all the way as Sebastian Tagliabue latched on to a defence-splitting pass from de Souza and hammered in to give The Clarets the lead. Signed this season from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, de Souza turned goal-scorer in the 26th minute from the penalty spot after Batna had been felled just inside the area.
Content with their lead and their assertion on the game, Al Wahda defended through most part of the second half assured of full points under testing early evening heat and humidity. Finally, Tagliabue got his second of the match to make it 4-1 in the 77th minute when he turned in a Batna ball to the far corner of the Dibba goal.
Meanwhile, Kalba got their first points of their campaign with Mansour Abbas Al Baloushi opening the score in the seventh minute and Myke Ramos adding a second in the 33rd minute against Emirates Club in Ras Al Khaimah.
Results
Dibba 1 Al Wahda 4
Kalba 2 Emirates 0
