Moatasem Abdullah (Dubai)
The “summit race” continued in the “ADNOC Professional League”, in the matches of “Round 22”, with Al Wasl, the “leader”, with 55 points, winning outside its bases against its host, Al Bataeh, 4-1, and Shabab Al Ahly, “the runner-up”, with 46 points, beating its guest, Sharjah, 3- 1, and Al Ain, “third”, with 39 points from 20 matches, overcame its guest, Khor Fakkan, with a 1-0 win, while Emirates “penultimate” returned with a valuable victory from Ittihad Kalba Stadium, 2-1.
“The Emperor” took a new step towards regaining the “absent title” by defeating its host “Al-Raqi” by four goals to one in the match that was held at Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah.
Caio Canedo gave “The Emperor” the lead with the first goal from a header in the 13th minute, which was the tenth goal for Yellow in the league from “headers,” and Ali Saleh added the second goal in the 20th minute after he followed a ball from a corner kick, before Fabio Lima scored. His team took the lead with the third goal in the 34th minute after a ball prepared by Caio from a “heel” pass inside the penalty area.
Mohammed Rashid reduced the difference by scoring Al-Bataeh’s first goal in the 41st minute, translating Sekou Baba’s cross from the right side. This was the 30th goal for Al-Raqi in 20 league matches, equaling its goal tally in the last season 2022-2023.
In the second half, Nicolas Jimenez confirmed Al Wasl’s advantage by scoring his team’s fourth goal with a missile shot from outside the penalty area in the 71st minute, which was the first goal of “The Emperor” from outside the penalty area in the league during the current season.
On the other hand, Shabab Al-Ahly came from behind against its guest Sharjah with a goal to win 3-1 at Rashid Stadium, and the Brazilian Caio Lucas, returning to hug the net after fasting for more than two months since last February, opened the scoring for the King from a “penalty kick” in the 10th minute committed by the same player. Before the “owners of the land” responded quickly with an equalizing goal through Yahya Al-Ghassani in the 17th minute, taking advantage of Saeed Ezzat Allah’s pass, which was Al-Ghassani’s third goal out of 5 he scored in the league in the last three matches in a row.
Substitute Igor Jesus gave the Knights the lead with the second goal from a header in the 67th minute, with his first touch 83 seconds after he came on as a substitute for the Argentine Cartabia, who scored the first goal. The same player returned to add his second and third personal goal for the Knights in the 86th minute, translating Yahya Al-Ghassani’s pass. From a mistake by Othman Kamara, Sharjah player.
At Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain regained the memory of victory that was absent in the last four rounds of the league, by defeating its guest Khor Fakkan 1-0, and Sultan Al Shamsi scored the only goal of the match in the 26th minute, raising Al Ain’s score to 39 points in third place, compared to 20 for the Eagles in third place. twelveth.
The confrontation against the “Eagles”, which “Al-Zaeem” played with a squad dominated by reserve players, represented the “final rehearsal” before its anticipated match against its host Yokohama Marinos of Japan in the first leg of the final round of the AFC Champions League 2023-2024 next Saturday, with the return match being held. On May 25th in Al Ain.
The UAE returned with a valuable victory from its host stadium, Ittihad Kalba, 2-1, and the guests took the lead with goals from Marwan Fahd in the 16th and 21st minutes, and Mahdi Qaidi reduced the difference by scoring the “Tigers’ only goal from a “penalty kick” in the 88th minute, and the “Falcons”, which celebrated its third victory, raised the score. In the league and the second outside its rules after the first against Khor Fakkan 2-0 in the third round, its score reached 14 points to keep its hopes in the “survival struggle” alive, compared to the “Tigers” remaining with 21 points in “11th place.”
#Emperor #Knights #continue #Race #Summit