Ajman, Al Jazira share spoils; Bani Yas win
Players of Al Jazira and Ajman in action during their Arabian Gulf League match.
The game started with a bang, as Ajman took the lead in the eighth minute through Bubacarr Trawally, who converted Waleed Al Yammahi’s low cross into the back of the net with a diving header.
It took the Pride of Abu Dhabi 38 minutes to respond, when Mourad Batna’s left footed volleyed strike was brilliantly denied by Ali Al Hosani.
The hosts suffered a huge blow in the final moments of the first half, as Hassan Zahran was sent for an early shower after picking up a straight red card for his poor challenge on Keno.
Al Jazira tried to capitalize on the numerical advantage and 20 minutes ahead of fulltime, Hosani pulled off an excellent double save to deny Ali Mabkhout and Batna’s efforts.
In the 77th minute, Al Jazira were awarded a penalty kick after Zayed Al Ameri was brought down inside the box by Hosani. Mabkhout drilled the ball calmly into the bottom corner to level things up.
Following the draw, Al Jazira occupy the fourth spot with 24 points ahead of their clash against Al Dhafra.
Meanwhile, Luiz Antonio scored at the death as Bani Yas edged Al Nasr 1-0 at Al Maktoum Stadium.
Bani Yas tried to snatch an early lead when Ahmed Abunamous went through on goal in the fifth minute, but his right footed miscued shot went just wide.
Both teams looked to retain possession and failed to create any real threats until the 40th minute, when Alvaro Negredo found Toze with a long through pass that Portuguese controlled skillfully, however, Fahad Al Dhanhani pulled off an excellent save to deny Toze’s close range effort.
In the second half, Sultan Al Shamsi nearly took the lead for the Sky Blues when he went past Al Nasr’s goalkeeper, however, he failed to convert from a tight angle.
Around nine minutes before time, Negredo controlled the ball inside the box, but the Spaniard’s right footed volley went over the bar.
Antonio scored in the 90th minute to hand Bani Yas the full points. The Brazilian received a loose ball and smashed it into the top corner following a huge deflection off Al Nasr’s defender.
Seconds later, things got even worse for the hosts, when Mohammed Ayed was shown a red card for his challenge on Khalid Al Hashmi.
In the fifth minute of injury time, substitute John George was sent off for Bani Yas as he stepped recklessly on Toze.
Following the game, Al Nasr dropped to the fifth spot with 23 points ahead of their anticipated clash against Al Wasl. Meanwhile, Bani Yas jumped to ninth with 14 points before their trip to Ajman in matchweek 14 of the Arabian Gulf League.
