Monday, Dec 25, 2006
Gulf News
Dubai: Al Wasl defeated bottom placed Fujairah club 4-2 at the Al Wasl stadium yesterday to become joint leaders of the Etisalat First Division league.
They share the top spot with Al Shaab who beat Al Nasr 3-1 on Saturday. Both team have 19 points.
Al Wasl could have topped the standings on goal difference leading 4-0 until the 86th minute. But Fujairah scored two late goals to reduce the goal difference to eight. Al Shaab have a nine goal difference.
Fujairah were beaten for the seventh time and look certain to go back to the Second Division.
Al Jazira's Zambian defender Elija Tana was the hero scoring a brace and leading his team to a comfortable 4-1 home victory over visiting Emirates.
Al Jazira increased their tally to 14 points to climb to fourth place while Emirates remain in the relegation zone with 8.
Powerful header
Al Wasl had to wait for 20 minutes to score their first goal. It came from the spot after Fujairah keeper brought Olivera down inside the box. Anderson converted the spot kick. Fujairah played better in the second half.
They attacked, but lacked the final touch in front of the Al Wasl goal.
Olivera scored the second, benefiting from an error by Fujairah defender Tariq Mustafa in 72 minute. After two minutes Tariq Hasan scored the third with a blast from 25 metres. Anderson hit the fourth with a powerful header.
Al Wasl supporters appeared happy that their club will top the standings for 45 days as the league takes a break until February 8. However, Mohammad Abdullah and Ali Rashid scored two goals to deny Al Wasl from going top.
At the Al Jazira Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Tana played in the absence of both Ebrahim Diyaki and Hamad Mohammad and scored his first goals in the league.
Tana put his team into the lead when he placed home a cross from Mohsin Sa'ad. They scored the second when the Emirates defenders failed to intercept a long pass from Obaid and Toni found himself clear to score his team's second.
Three minutes later the visiting defenders committed another fatal mistake and Tana was left with the easiest task of just putting the ball into an empty net.
Iranian Reza Einayati, captain of Emirates, scored one of the most beautiful goals of the season with a first-time half-volley following Adil Rashid's pass.
But the Iranian turned from hero to villain in the second half when he missed a penalty.
Emirates were punished for squandering the penalty with Al Jazira's captain Hussain Suhai heading home his team's fourth.
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
