Sharjah, Khorfakkan and Al Wasl seal spots in ADIB Cup quarters

Sharjah booked their place in the ADIB Cup quarter-finals with a composed 2-0 victory over Dibba in the gameweek two, sealing a 3-0 aggregate triumph.

Having edged the first leg 1-0, Sharjah wasted little time in tightening their grip on the tie.

They struck inside nine minutes through a moment of true quality: a slick one-two between Guilherme Sucigan and Igor Coronado carved open the defence, before the Brazilian winger cut inside and drilled a low strike into the bottom corner.

It was a goal that underlined Sharjah’s attacking fluidity and their clinical edge in front of goal.

Dibba were handed a lifeline shortly after when they won a penalty, but Carlos Vinicius struck the post from the spot – a miss that proved costly.

Sharjah punished them just after the restart, with Coronado once again at the heart of the action.

His perfectly weighted through ball found Alhasan Saleh, who timed his run to perfection, broke the offside trap and finished smartly into the bottom corner.

From that moment onward, Sharjah seized complete control of proceedings, dictating the rhythm of play with composure and maturity. Their midfielders orchestrated possession with patience, moving the ball with purpose and denying Dibba the opportunity to establish any sustained pressure.

Whenever Dibba attempted to break forward, Sharjah’s defensive line stood firm, cutting out passing lanes and intercepting with confidence, ensuring that danger was dealt with before it could truly develop.

At the other end, Sharjah’s attacking unit showcased a perfect balance between flair and efficiency. Their creative movement in the final third constantly stretched Dibba’s backline, opening gaps that were exploited through incisive passing and well-timed runs. Even when they weren’t adding to the scoreline, their attacking presence kept Dibba pinned back and hesitant to commit players forward.

By the final whistle, Sharjah had not only secured a comfortable progression into the last eight but also underlined their credentials as genuine contend

Khorfakkan advanced to the next round with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bani Yas in gameweek two, earning a 3-2 aggregate victory after a thrilling tie.

The first leg had ended in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Saqr Bin Mohammad al Qassimi Stadium, setting the stage for a decisive clash in gameweek two.

And it was Khorfakkan who struck first, needing only 20 minutes to tilt the tie in their favour.

Tarik Tissoudali delivered a perfectly timed through ball to release Pedro Pavlov, and the Argentinian forward showed composure and precision to cut inside and finish clinically into the right-hand corner.

Khorfakkan came close to doubling their advantage just after the half-hour mark when Lourency’s effort, having beaten his marker, cannoned back off the post. That near miss kept the contest alive, giving Bani Yas hope heading into the second half.

The visitors responded with waves of pressure after the break, pushing hard for an equaliser that would have reignited the contest.

But despite their intensity, they could not find a way past Khorfakkan’s resilient back line. In the end, Pavlov’s early strike proved decisive, sending Khorfakkan into the last eight of the competition.

Earlier, Al Wasl booked their place in the Cup quarter-finals after defeating Al Dhafra 4-2 in at Zabeel Stadium on Friday night, sealing a 9-3 aggregate victory across the two games.

The result sets up an eagerly anticipated last-eight clash with Al Jazira.

Al Dhafra struck first through Khalil Ibrahim in the 10th minute, with the goal confirmed after a lengthy VAR review. Al Wasl responded quickly, equalizing in the 25th minute through Renato Junior, who converted from an Adamo Diallo assist. The first half ended level at 1-1.

The second half began with more drama as Al Wasl’s Salem Al Azizi scored an own goal to hand Dhafra a 2-1 lead on the night. But the setback sparked a powerful reaction.

Within minutes, Sergio Pereira’s brilliant run down the wing set up Tahnoon Alzaabi for the equaliser, and soon after, Matheus Saldanha added a third with another Pereira assist. As Dhafra pushed forward, Al Wasl punished them again deep into stoppage time, when Mouhcine Rabja turned the ball into his own net to complete a 4-2 scoreline.

Players of Sharjah celebrate after winning their ADIB Cup match against Dibba on Saturday.