Al Jazira down Al Ain; UAE FA suspends all AGL matches
- 15 Mar 2020
Keno scored and assisted as Al Jazira defeated Al Ain 3-1, at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in matchweek 19 of the Arabian Gulf League on Saturday night.
Al Jazira got off to lightening start, when Omar Abdulrahman released Ali Mabkhout behind Al Ain’s backline, however, the striker’s effort missed the target by a narrow margin in the fourth minute.
Al Ain didn’t respond until the 39th minute, when Bandar Al Ahbabi went up the right flank and sent an accurate cross towards Kodjo Laba, whose powerful header left Ali Khaseif helpless.
Just three minutes later, Keno received the ball up the left wing and found Abdulrahman with a ground cross. The midfielder converted easily from a close range to make it 1-1.
In the second half, both teams failed to create any threats as the majority of gameplay was in the midfield, and around the 70-minute mark, Al Ain suffered a huge blow after Al Ahbabi was sent off for his second bookable offense.
Al Jazira managed to capitalise on the numerical advantage, as they took the lead in the 82nd minute. Keno got at the end of a loose ball inside the box and smashed it into the back of the net with a brilliant first time volley.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi secured the entertaining victory as Mabkhout scored the third of the night. The veteran striker controlled Abdulrahman’s long through pass and advanced towards the box before smashing the ball into the bottom corner.
The win takes Al Jazira to the third spot with 36 points ahead of their difficult clash against Sharjah next week. Meanwhile, Al Ain sit second with 37 points and will host Bani Yas in matchweek 20 of the Arabian Gulf League.
Meanwhile, the UAE Football Association (UAEFA) suspended all competitions under its purview with immediate effect.
A statement from the UAE Pro League late on Sunday reiterated the UAE FA’s stand to “suspend all football activity in the country starting today, Sunday March 15 for four weeks as a precautionary measure.
“It was decided that all UAE Pro League competitions, including the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) and AGL U21 will be suspended,” the statement added.
“The situation will be reassessed and reviewed after the end of the said period,” the statement further said.
“The decision has been made in coordination with the relevant UAE authorities,” it explained.
