Dubai: Nasser Noor’s late strike secured three points for Al Wasl as they defeated Emirates Club 2-1 at Zabeel Stadium in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) on Tuesday night.
Al Wasl almost got off to a flying start when Caio Canedo released Yousef Ahmad behind Emirates’ back line with a brilliant through pass. But the striker’s effort cannoned off the crossbar.
While goals were hard to come by, Waleed Ambar almost broke the deadlock on the hour mark but his shot came back off the Al Wasl post.
The game changed in the 69th minute when Amer Omar was sent off for a second yellow card — the Emirates man brought down Vinicius de Lima. Just five minutes later, Canedo show an excellent piece of individual skill, beating his marker before firing home past Emirates keeper Ahmad Al Shaji.
However, Husam Loutfy levelled for the Falcons with 10 minutes to go, just three minutes after coming on as a substitute, when he reacted quickly after the ball rebounded off the crossbar to slot past Yousi Al Zaabi.
The Cheetahs restored their lead just before the final whistle when Noor’s powerful low strike left Al Shaji helpless. Following the win, Al Wasl sit fifth with seven points ahead of a weekend trip to Saudi Arabia where they face Al Ittihad in the Arab Club Championship. Meanwhile, Emirates occupy the 10 spot with three points.
