Al Wasl maintain perfect start with commanding victory against Kalba

Al Wasl maintained their perfect start to the Adnoc Pro League season with a commanding 3-0 victory over Kalba in Matchweek Two on Friday.

After opening their campaign with a win, Al Wasl produced another assured display, combining attacking efficiency with defensive control to claim back-to-back victories and another three points.

The visitors signalled their intent early and almost broke the deadlock after 11 minutes. Adryelson Silva met a pinpoint cross with a powerful header, only to see his effort come back off the post.

That pressure soon paid off. Ali Saleh opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 18th minute, calmly sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to put Al Wasl ahead.

Just four minutes later, Al Wasl doubled their advantage with a well-worked team move. Nicolas Gimenez found space before guiding a low finish into the back of the net in the 22nd minute, giving his side firm control of the contest.

With a two-goal cushion, Al Wasl managed the game intelligently, limiting Kalba’s attacking threat while continuing to look dangerous whenever they moved forward.

Kalba attempted to find a route back into the contest after the break, but Al Wasl remained organised and disciplined, denying the hosts the momentum they needed to mount a comeback.

The visitors eventually put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute. Brahian Palacios delivered a well-executed cross into the area, where Renato Junior rose above the Kalba defence and powered his header into the bottom corner.

The third goal capped a convincing all-round performance from Al Wasl, who combined clinical finishing with defensive solidity to make it two wins from two and continue their impressive start to the campaign.

Meanwhile, in one of the major clash of the week sees Sharjah host Al Jazira on Sunday at the Sharjah Stadium, with both teams looking to build on winning starts to the season.

The two sides have met 32 times in the Pro League, with Al Jazira holding a significant advantage with 18 victories compared to Sharjah’s five, while nine matches have ended in draws.

Sharjah head into the game after a 3-1 opening-round victory over Al Dhafra and will be looking to win their first two matches of a Pro League season for the sixth time in their history.

Al Jazira also started the campaign with a victory, defeating Hatta 2-0, and will be aiming to win their opening two matches of a Pro League season for the fifth time.

Al Jazira have an impressive historical record against Sharjah. Their 18 victories are the most recorded by any team against Sharjah in Pro League history, while their 65 goals against them are also a joint competition high alongside Al Ain.

Sharjah, meanwhile, have gone 17 consecutive Adnoc Pro League home matches without a draw, recording seven victories and 10 defeats during that run.

Caio Lucas has been one of Sharjah’s most influential players against Al Jazira, contributing to seven of the team’s last 12 goals in this fixture, with three goals and four assists.

Al Jazira have scored 65 goals across their Pro League meetings with Sharjah, compared to Sharjah’s 34, while Ali Mabkhout is the fixture’s all-time leading scorer with 12 goals.

Al Jazira and Al Ain jointly hold the record for the most Pro League goals scored against Sharjah, with 65 each, followed by Al Wahda with 62, Al Nasr with 51 and Al Wasl with 50.

Al Jazira also top the list of teams with the most Pro League victories against Sharjah with 18, ahead of Shabab Al Ahli with 17, Al Ain and Al Wahda with 16 each, and Al Wasl with 14.

Earlier, the opening matchweek set a new scoring record, with 33 goals finding the net across the round to make it the highest-scoring opening matchweek in the professional era.

The tally surpassed the previous record of 31 goals, set in the opening round of the 2018-19 season, by two goals.

The numbers reflected the variety of attacking contributions throughout the matchweek, with both starters and substitutes getting on the scoresheet and goals arriving at different stages of matches, including stoppage time.