Al Dhafra heap more misery on Khorfakkan; Kalba rout Ajman

Mohammad Abdullah, Staff Reporter

Al Dhafra piled more misery on rock-bottom Khorfakkan, beating them 2-0 in the eighth round match of the Arabian Gulf League on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in another game, a resurgent Ittihad Kalba demolished a hapless Ajman 6-0.

Earlier, Khorfakkan’s winless streak continued as they are yet to open their account in the league.

They are at the bottom of the league with three points from eight games after suffering five losses and managing three draws.

AL Dhfra ‘s Eladoua broke the dead lock in the 31st minute when he curled the ball into the net off a corner kick.

Five minutes later, Khorfakkan also got the chance to equalise through a corner kick but they failed to exploit it. The first-half ended with Al Dhafra leading by 1-0.

Khorfakkan tried hard to break the deadlock and restore parity but they could not sneak through Al Dhafra’s tight defence.

After the half-time, Khorfakkan came close to scoring many times but failed to convert half-chances into a goal. In the dying moments, Ibrahim Saeed Masoud scored another goal to make it 2-0 and all but end Khorfakkan’s hopes.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Al Nasr will take on Al Ain while Shabab Al Ahli meet Al Wahda.

Al Nasr coach Kronuslav Jurcic said he is wary of Al Ain’s challenge but at the same time he has confidence in his players and his team will play for all three points.

“We have another big match against Al Ain, who have a great history and are led by an excellent coach. Besides, it includes high ranks and a group of distinguished players.

“We respect Al Ain team like other competitors. But we are also a great team, who have a wonderful group of players, and we will do everything we can to achieve victory and harvest three points,” Jurcic said.

He continued by saying: “I feel lucky to lead a team that put a strong fight in the major matches. And during the last period we have trained very well, and we have performed a number of tactical and physical exercises, in preparation for the next match.”

Talking about the injuries and absentees in the team, he said: “We have had some minor injuries, but all players will be ready to play, except Saeed Suwaidan, who will be absent due to suspension.

“Everyone in the team will give everything in this match in order to achieve a positive result, the goal of each team member is to achieve a positive result, especially as the match resembles the derby games that each team seeks to win”.

Jurcic added: “As I said that I do not aspire to win only, although the victory extends the life of the coach with the club, rather I am seeking to provide beautiful and enjoyable football that satisfies everyone in the club.”

Talking about the Al Nasr’s mediocre performance in this season, he informed: “When I joined the team, it hadn’t won any games in the last two months, so I had to start building the team from the base.

“Then the team evolved over the time and reached the top. So, I started preparing the team’s base on the field, adjusting defensive errors and closing the goal to competitors to not receive goals, which was achieved in the last period.

“Now we will work on reaching the second stage in the construction plan, which is developing the offensive side of the team and scoring many goals.

Jurcic concluded by saying: “December is a month full of matches, but we took advantage of the layoff, and worked to prepare the team technically and physically very strongly, until we enter the next matches and we are fully prepared.”

Al Nasr’s player Glauber Lima said on his return: “We will play an important match against Al Ain, which is one of the top clubs here, and we will do our best in the match in order to come out with a positive result.

Glauber added: “Before coming here, I heard that many players are not good at adapting here for a number of reasons, such as high temprature and getting away from family, in addition to the language barrier. But I was fortunate to come with my family and join a big team that has a positive atmosphere and great players that helped me to quickly adapt to the team”.

Shabab Al Ahli coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena also exuded confidence in his players ahead of the Al Wahda match. Regarding the players’ injuries situation, he said, “Both Mariani and Walid Abbas are in hospital. As for Majed and Mana, it is too early to talk about their return and they have a qualification program. I do not rush their return until their recovery is fully completed.”

On the team’s absences, he said, “Despite the absences, we have added new faces in the match against Al Wasl and staged a a tough fight and achieved a great result that brought about a refreshment for the team.”

When asked about the reaction of the opposing team after receiving a great loss in the cup, he said, “The big teams when you lose their reaction are strong, and certainly every team wants to return quickly, and from our side we seek to confirm the continuation of our victories and search for the three points with good balanced performance and focus.”