Al Jazira regain top spot after Bani Yas held

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Bani Yas missed out on an opportunity to top the Arabian Gulf League table after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sharjah in matchweek 23 on Saturday night.

Bani Yas were handed a golden chance to take the lead midway through the first half when they were awarded a penalty kick for a foul on Joao Pedro.

The Brazilian forward stepped up and converted from the spot to put the guests 1-0 up on 23 minutes.

The home side missed out on a chance to level the scoreline when Caio's header smacked off the woodwork just before the half-hour mark.

The 26-year-old Brazilian, however, netted the equalizer as his close-range shot nestled into the bottom corner of the net four minutes before the break.

Bani Yas dropped to second place on 49 points, one below Al Jazira who regained their place at the top with 50 points after the conclusion of matchweek 23.

The draw also saw Sharjah drop to fourth place on 42 points, one below Shabab Al Ahli.

Earlier, Al Jazira bounced back from their defeat to Al Wahda with a thrilling 3-2 win over Al Wasl at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium.

Al Jazira went 1-0 up after 13 minutes thanks to an own-goal from Hueglo Neris who mistakenly headed the ball into his side's own net. Al Wasl leveled the scoreline less than 10 minutes later when Fabio Lima finished past keeper Ali Khaseif.

Ali Mabkhout dribbled past Al Wasl keeper and tapped the ball home to regain Al Jazira's lead just after the half-hour mark. Lima got Al Wasl back into the game when he completed his double with a fantastic close-range effort on 64 minutes.

However, Al Wasl's comeback was short-lived as Milos Kosanovic fired home a free-kick to net what turned out to be the matchwinner five minutes later.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi ended Al Wasl’s 12-game unbeaten streak, as the latter stay 9th on 34 points.