Sharjah inch closer to AGL title as Al Wahda stun Shabab Al Ahli

Welliton Soares scored late to hand Sharjah a 2-2 draw with Al Ain at Khalid Bin Mohamed Stadium in matchweek 21 of the Arabian Gulf League on Wednesday.

Jamal Maroof had a chance to find the back of the net after going one-on-one with Adel Alhosani in the 13th minute, but the the Sharjah keeper pulled off a good save to keep the game goalless.

Two minutes before the half-hour mark, Igor Coronado opened the scoring for the hosts. The Brazilian sent the ball into the left corner of the net off a free-kick from outside the box to give his side a 1-0 advantage.

Sharjah continued to push forward hoping to double their lead ahead of the break but were denied by the Al Ain keeper. Coronado dribbled past two Sharjah players on the right flank before sending a smart pass to Mohamed Alshehhi inside the box but the latter’s shot was saved by Khalid Eisa in the 33rd minute.

It was Al Ain, however, who found the back of the net as they leveled the scoreline 10 minutes before the break. Bandar AlAhbabi’s long pass found Maroof who slotted the ball between Alhosani’s legs as they headed into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.

Alhosani saved his side from conceding a second goal only four minutes after the restart, as he pulled off a quick save to deny Khalid Al Baloushi.

After being 1-0 down, the Boss took the lead in the 72nd minute. After consulting the VAR, the referee awarded the guests a penalty and Tsukasa Shiotani converted from the spot past Alhosani.

However, Al Ain’s comeback didn’t last long as the King netted the equalizer two minutes from time. Welliton found the ball on the edge of the box and went in a  one-on-one situation with Alhosani before slotting home.

The King continue to top the league on 51 points and need only five more points to seal the title. Al Ain ended their losing streak and now sit fourth on 39 points.

Earlier, Leonardo de Souza’s first-half goal guided Al Wahda to edge Shabab Al Ahli 1-0.

The guests controlled the proceedings in the early minutes of the game. The first real chance of the match fell to Al Wahda’s Sebastian Tagliabue, however, his eighth-minute back-heel effort went wide.

The Clarets eventually found the back of the net, thanks to Leonardo de Souza’s effort in the 17th minute. A defensive blunder saw Shabab Al Ahli defender send the ball into the Brazilian midfielder’s path who sent the ball over the keeper from the edge of the box to give his side the lead.

Shabab Al Ahli tried to respond but failed to pose enough threat on Al Wahda’s goal. De Souza and Tagliabue had a few attempts midway through the first half but their efforts went above the bar.

Shabab Al Ahli looked dangerous in the early stages of the second half. Ahmed Khalil had a number of attempts after the restart but failed to find the back of the net. His effort in the 72nd minute went wide before his 83rd-minute free-kick was cleared by the defense.

In another match, Romulo dos Santos’ first-half penalty-kick goal made the difference as Al Dhafra defeated Bani Yas 1-0 at Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium.

Meanwhile, Fujairah came from behind to play out a 3-3 draw with Al Wasl at Fujairah Club Stadium.

Al Wasl got off to a strong start and found themselves 1-0 up after only six minutes. Caio Correa’s excellent through pass found Ali Saleh who slotted the ball over the keeper to give his side the lead.

Ten minutes later, Ronaldo Mendes double the guests lead following impressive individual work. The Brazilian forward dribbled past the defenders on the right side of the field before getting into the box and curling a powerful strike into the back of the net.