Al Jazira bows to Al Wasl at home

Former league leader Al Jazira were badly humiliated at home yesterday losing 1-2 to Al Wasl, in the second week of the first division UAE soccer competition presenting their poorest performance in a long period.
What added insult to injury was the fact that the visitors played more than 55 minutes with ten players and without any one of their two professionals as Moroccan Rasheed Al Dawoody did not play because of injury and Kanu Ufolabi was sent off after 35 minutes of the match after he collected two unnecessary yellow cards within 11 minutes only, one for foul play and the second for misbehaving as he shot the ball into the goal after the referee whistled for off side.
The incident adds more clouds to the already gloomy future of the player with the club who had already signed Iranian Farhad Majidi.
The home team played the match pressing for an early goal and Salih Obadi was about to realise their hopes but his fierce shot was successfully blocked by Ahmed Salim, the visiting custodian, four minutes into the match.
Al Wasl were more successful as they saw their first attempt at the Al Jazira's goal fruitful as the home defenders failed to clear a cross from the left flank only for midfielder Bakhit Obaid to shoot a tremendous shot from outside the penalty box for the first goal, seven minutes into the game.
Al Jazira went all out for the equaliser but the alert custodian and defenders of Al Wasl kept them at bay. Hussain Suhail headed from an Emanuel corner and Salim saved, then both Joel Tiehi and Emanuel tried their luck but they were fruitless attempts. After the sending off of Ufolabi, the home team took complete command of play and only five minutes later they scored the equaliser by Tiehi who received a pass from Suhail to score his fifth goal in two matches.
Emaneul should have put the home team ahead twice in the first five minutes after the breather. His first attempt was saved brilliantly by Salim while his second attempt rebounded from the cross bar after Yousuf Hassan put him behind the off side trap of the Al Wasl defence. Tiehi also missed a golden chance as Salim saved his cunning curling free kick from a foul just outside the penalty box, 13 minutes after the interval.
Al Jazira surrendered their dominance and started to commit many mistakes in passing and marking which created great danger in front of their own goal in the fast counter attacks of the visitors. Substitute midfielder Omar Sultan sent Majid Saeed clear with only Saeed Jumaa, the home custodian to beat, but the young striker was unfortunate to see his shot deflecting from the up left
Eleven minutes before the end, referee Abdulla Al Bannay awarded a correct penalty to Al Wasl as Salih Obaid fouled Majid inside the box. Humaid Yousuf, the defender and stand in Captain, converted correctly for the winner that shattered the hopes of Al Jazira to extend their lead for the second week.
The match, though generally of average standard, showed the big problems of Al Jazira in the back line as their defence appeared vulnerable and shaky.