The King crowned AGL champions; Al Ain grab 3rd place with Al Wasl win

Sharjah sealed the Arabian Gulf League title after earning a tough 3-2 win over Al Wahda in the penultimate matchweek of the campaign at Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium on Wednesday night.

The first chance of the game fell to Sharjah’s Omar Juma who went in a one-on-one situation with Al Wahda keeper Mohamed Alshamsi but failed to get past him.

The King continued to threaten the guests and eventually took the lead on the half-hour mark. Igor Coronado opened the scoring for the hosts as he headed home Juma’s cross to put his side 1-0 up.

Soon after, Adel Alhosani pulled off a brilliant save to deny Leonardo de Souza from netting the equalizer.

Five minutes from the break, Leonardo de Souza leveled up the scoreline. Alhosani saved the initial attempt before the Brazilian midfielder latched onto the rebound and fired home.

The Clarets came close to taking the lead before the break but Khalil Ibrahim’s effort hit the woodwork as they headed into halftime tied on 1-1

The King got off to a fiery start to the second half as Welliton regained their lead only one minute after the restart. The Brazilian forward dribbled past Al Shamsi before tapping the ball into the empty net.

Sharjah soon went 3-0 up as Coronado netted his second of the night in the 57th minute. The Brazilian dribbled past Al Wahda’s defenders inside the box before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner to further extend Sharjah’s lead and put them a step closer to the title.  

With 15 minutes to go, Sebastian Tagliabue headed the ball past Alhosani off Khalil Alhammadi’s cross to reduce the deficit. This marked his 26th goal of the season.

Al Wahda came close to netting the equalizer two minutes from time but Leonardo de Souza’s effort went wide as the King sealed the title with one game to spare.

They top the table on 56 points, three above second-placed Shabab Al Ahli. This marked Sharjah’s sixth league title in their history, with their last victory coming in the 1995-96 season.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah has congratulated His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on Sharjah’s win.

He attributed the dear win to the in-depth vision of the Sharjah Ruler and his unlimited support to the sports sector in the emirate over the past years. Shrjah Crown Prince also extended congratulations to the Sharjah Sports Council on their officials’ tireless efforts to support and follow-up with all clubs in the emirate.

He expressed appreciation for the distinguished performance shown by Sharjah FC’s players across the season.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Deputy Chairman of Sharjah Executive Council, has congratulated His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan.

Elsewhere in the league, Shabab Al Ahli earned an easy 4-1 win over Bani Yas. Micheal Ortega opened the scoring for the Sky Blues before Shabab Al Ahli responded with four goals from Mohammad Sebil, Mauro Diaz, Jaime Ayovi and Luvannor Henrique.

Shabab Al Ahli sit second on 53 points, while Bani Yas remain frozen on 39 points in sixth place.

Meanwhile, After beating Al Wasl 5-1 at Hazza Bin Zayed stadium, Al Ain jumped to third place.

The Boss netted two early goals as Ruben Ribeiro converted from the spot in the third minute before Yahia Nader headed the second in the sixth minute off a corner from Caio.

In the 18th minute, Falah Waleed added his name to the scoresheet after going in a one-on-one situation with Al Wasl keeper.

Less than 10 minutes later, Caio made it 4-0 after converting a free-kick into the back of the net. Khalid Al Baloushi added Al Ain’s fifth of the night in the 38th minute.

Nasser Noor scored Al Wasl’s only goal of the game 10 minutes from time as Al Ain raised their tally to 46 points in third place, while Al Wasl remained seventh on 33 points.

Elsewhere, Al Jazira were held to a 1-1 draw with Al Dhafra at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.