Al Wasl eke out hard-fought victory over 10-man Hatta

Fabio de Lima netted a brace as Al Wasl earned a hard-fought 4-3 win over 10-man Hatta in a thrilling Group B encounter at Hamdan bin Rashid Stadium on Monday.

The newly promoted side entered the matchweek 2 encounter on the back of a 0-0 draw with Ajman in their first group game on Friday. This, however, marked Al Wasl’s first match of the 2019/20 Arabian Gulf Cup season.

Only six minutes into the game, Hatta were already 1-0 up. After capitalizing on a defensive blunder from Al Wasl, Cristian Lopez found the ball outside the box and sent a powerful effort past the Cheetahs’ keeper Mohamed Al Bairaq.

The guests had a chance to level the scoreline in the 14th minute but Fernando Gaibor’s effort hit the woodwork as Hatta kept their 1-0 lead.

They also managed to keep the momentum going and doubled the scoreline 10 minutes later through a one-touch finish from former Al Wasl winger Abdullah Kazim.

Only eight minutes before the break, Al Wasl were awarded a penalty kick and Hatta were reduced to 10 men as Waleed Sirag was sent off for a handball. Fabio de Lima pulled one back for the guests after converting from the spot.

Al Wasl had a better start to the second half and tried to capitalize on their numerical advantage to net the equalizer. And only nine minutes after the restart, Welliton levelled the scoreline. After a one-two play between Gaibor and Welliton, the Brazilian forward slotted past Hatta keeper Zayed Al Hammadi to make it 2-2.

With 16 minutes to go, Abdulla Jasem put Al Wasl in front for the first time in the game as he sent a powerful header off a corner kick into the back of the net.

As the Cheetahs looked to be headed for their first win of the season, Hatta had other thoughts. The home side were awarded a penalty after Kazim was fouled inside the box and Lopez converted into the left corner of the net only four minutes from time to get his second goal of the night.

However, Al Wasl refused to give up and fought back until the dying minutes of the game. Their efforts paid off as Fabio de Lima netted the winner in injury time. The Brazilian forward dribbled past Hatta defense inside the box and slotted home to seal the three points for the Cheetahs.

Al Wasl now sit third on three points, while Hatta are frozen on one point in fourth place.

Earlier, the first matchweek of the 2019/20 Arabian Gulf Cup season came to an end after strong starts from the top teams.

Al Nasr kicked the season in style and topped Group A after a 3-0 win over Ittihad Kalba. They are followed by Al Jazira who earned an easy 3-1 win over Khor Fakkan.

The most anticipated match of the week ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw between Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli. The game witnessed three penalty kicks and a late goal for Shabab Al Ahli as the teams occupied the third and fourth spots.

Ahmed Khalil netted a late equalizer to guide Shabab Al Ahli to a thrilling 2-2 draw against Al Ain in their first Group A match at the Arabian Gulf Cup at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Friday.

Al Ain found themselves 1-0 up after they were awarded a penalty for a foul against Jamal Ibrahim only six minutes into the game. Togolese forward Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba converted from the spot into the bottom right corner of the net to open his scoring account with Al Ain and put the Boss in front.

Four minutes after the restart, Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba missed a chance to double Al Ain’s lead as his attempt was blocked by Shabab Al Ahli defender Mohammed Marzooq.

Shabab Al Ahli pushed forward hoping to score an equalizer in the second half. Just after the one-hour mark, Henrique Luvannor fired a powerful effort from outside the box that went inches over the bar.

Shabab Al Ahli leveled the scoreline 20 minutes into the second half, thanks to a stunning Henrique Luvannor goal. Marzooq headed the ball to the 29-year-old forward inside the box who smashed home an incredible scissor kick goal.

The drama intensified only 10 minutes from full time, when substitute Mohsen Abdallah was awarded a penalty and Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba converted from the spot to added his second of the night and regain Al Ain’s lead.

As the Boss looked to be headed for a win, Shabab Al Ahli were awarded a penalty deep into injury time that was converted into the back of the net by Ahmed Khalil.

Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli now sit in third and fourth place on one point each, while Al Jazira and Al Nasr top the group on three points after beating Ittihad Kalba and Khor Fakkan, respectively.

Al Dhafra didn’t take part in this matchweek, while Khor Fakkan and Kalba sat at the bottom of the group on zero points.

In Group B, it was Al Wahda who sat at the top after beating Fujairah 3-1. Meanwhile, Bani Yas defeated Sharjah 2-0 as the King kick off the cup campaign in a similar manner to last season‘s edition which saw them finish off at the bottom with zero points.