Negredo nets bicycle kick as Al Nasr edge past Shabab Al Ahli

Alvaro Negredo’s bicycle kick settled the Dubai Derby as Al Nasr emerged 1-0 winners over Shabab Al Ahli at Al Maktoum Stadium in matchweek 5 of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL).

The visitors came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute as Luvannor Henrique dribbled his way past two defenders down the right before attempting to finish from a narrow angle, but goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh was able to make the save.

After a cagey first half, the deadlock was finally broken at the hour mark through Negredo.

Shabab Al Ahli defence failed to deal with a Mahmoud Khamis cross, allowing the Spanish striker to outmuscle his marker and finish acrobatically into the back of the net past the onrushing Majed Nasser.

Shabab Al Ahli suffered a blow after their star midfielder Leonardo was sent off for violent conduct late in the second half.

Back-to-back wins for new Al Nasr coach Krunoslav Jurcic mean the Blues now rise up to sixth in the table with seven points, while Shabab Al Ahli’s first defeat of the league leaves them third, three points off the pace.

Al Nasr coach Jurcic expressed happiness over the narrow victory and promised his team will only get better.

“It was a tough match against Shabab Al Ahli and the victory over them gave us much confidence.

“I think the presence of our fans gave us the edge to fight during the game. I think we are on the right way and we can all do this together as now is the right time to put in that extra bit of hard work,” the Croatian added.

After the completion of matchweek 5 Sharjah remain on top of the league table with 13 points

Reigning champions scored two late goals to snatch a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Hatta on Thursday.

Hatta shocked Sharjah early in the game, taking the lead in the 19th minute. Lahej Saleh sent an accurate cross towards Cristian Lopez, who headed into the back of Adel Al Hosani’s net.

Lopez found the back of the net again in 25th minute to put Hatta 2-0 ahead.

Last season’s foreign players of the year Coronado pulled one back into the first minute of extra time, while his countryman Ricardo Gomes netted the equaliser in the dying minutes of the game.

Sharjah will now face Fujairah on the Oct.31 during the next round of the league.

Coronado, a 27-year-old Brazilian has played in Europe before, mostly at the lower levels, but his arrival in the UAE, unheralded as it may have been at the time, has proven to be a masterstroke for club and player.

The playmaker has been his side’s best player for the last season and a bit, scoring 17 and assisting nine last season to clinch the Golden Ball Award as the Arabian Gulf League’s Best Foreign Player.

This season, he looks on track to better that record, with five goals and five assists in the opening four games – making him the league leader in both categories. He also leads the league for chances created with an incredible 15 in just four games.

He is simply on fire, and his scintillating run of form continued over the weekend as Sharjah roundly smashed a struggling Al Wasl side 5-1, with the dynamic Brazilian scoring two and providing the assist for another.

If he continues this form it wouldn’t surprise if a club from Europe looked to make a move for the league’s best player, so to all the fans in the UAE make sure you get out and see him while you can.

Meanwhile, Hatta sit tenth with five points ahead of their important clash against Al Wasl in matchweek six of the Arabian Gulf League.

Al Ain are on second spot with 12 points aftr thumping Fujairah 7-1. Al Ain will face Al Jazira on the Nov.1.