Sharjah go third with Hatta romp; Al Jazira remain on top post draw

Three second-half goals handed Sharjah a 3-0 win over Hatta at Sharjah Stadium in the 24th round of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) on Monday.

It wasn’t until the one-hour mark when Sharjah broke the deadlock thanks to Salem Saleh’s close-range effort, which saw him go one-on-one with the keeper before tapping the ball home.

Only five minutes later, Khalid Bawazir beat the keeper and gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. Antonio Junior sealed the victory with a shot from inside the box eight minutes from time.

Sharjah jumped into third place with 45 points, while Hatta edged a step closer to relegation as they remained at the bottom of the standings with 9 points.

Meanwhile, Bani Yas played out a 0-0 draw at home against Shabab Al Ahli.  

Bani Yas missed a golden chance to move to the top of the standings, as they failed to capitalize on Al Jazira’s stumble after the latter were held to a 3-3 draw with Ajman.

Bani Yas played out their fifth draw of the season to remain in second place with 50 points, one below leaders Al Jazira.

Meanwhile, Shabab Al Ahli extended their unbeaten run to 14 games and currently sit fifth on 44 points.

Elsewhere, Al Jazira were held to a 3-3 draw by the host Ajman but remained at the top of the standings.

Al Jazira’s Imoh Ezekiel broke the deadlock just nine minutes into the game before Madibo Maiga netted the equalizer in the 26th minute.

Brandley Kuwas regained the guests’ lead just after the half-hour mark. Maiga was yet again on target after he completed his brace just after the restart to level the scoreline at 2-2.

Luiz Antonio handed the lead to the home side for the first time when he converted from the spot in the 64th minute.

Al Jazira were also awarded a penalty 11 minutes from time and Ali Mabkhout made no mistake from the spot as he netted the equalizer.   

Despite the draw, Al Jazira remained at the top of the standings with 51 points, one clear of Bani Yas who played out a 0-0 draw with Shabab Al Ahli.

On the other hand, Ajman reached the 15-point mark in 12th place, one point clear of Fujairah who still have a game in hand.

In another match, Sebastian Tagliabue’s stoppage-time strike helped Al Nasr cruise to a 3-2 victory over Al Dhafra at Al Nahyan Stadium.

Tozé broke the deadlock when he took to the spot and made no error slotting past Al Dhafra keeper Zayed Al Hammadi just after the half-hour mark. The Portuguese forward doubled the hosts’ lead with a powerful long-range shot that nestled into the far corner of the net, putting Al Nasr 2-0 up ahead of halftime.  

The second half was a different story as Al Dhafra narrowed the deficit in the 74th minute when Makhete Diop headed the ball home.

Only five minutes later, Mohamed Aljneibi fired home from inside the box to level the scoreline at 2-2.

As the game looked headed to a draw, Al Nasr were awarded a penalty kick and Al Dhafra’s Issam El Adoua was sent off for a handball.

Tagliabue netted the winning goal from the spot deep into injury time to hand Al Nasr a 3-2 win. The win sees Al Nasr raise their points tally to 45, while Al Dhafra remain 11th with 21 points.

All the while, first-half goals saw Ittihad Kalba play out a 1-1 draw with Al Ain at Ittihad Kalba Stadium.

Laba Kodjo broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, as the Togolese forward is now involved in four goals in four games against Ittihad Kalba in the league (3 goals - 1 assist).

Peniel Mlapa leveled the scoreline after converting from the spot just after the half-hour mark to equal his last season’s goalscoring tally (11 goals), with two games to go in the current AGL season.

The draw leaves Al Ain in 6th place with 38 points, two clear of Ittihad Kalba who sit in seventh place.

Khorfakkan edged Al Wasl 2-1 at Zabeel Stadium to officially guarantee the safety in the top flight for another year.

Dodo opened the scoring for the guests on 25 minutes and Ismail Al Hammadi doubled their lead only six minutes later. Khorfakkan’s Kouame Autonne netted an own goal deep into injury time, as the guests sealed a 2-1 victory.  Khorfakkan now have 24 points in 10th place, while Al Wasl are ninth with 34 points.