Al Jazira hold Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli win in first leg of Pro League Cup semis

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Al Jazira came from behind to draw 1-1 against Al Ain at Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in the first leg of the Pro League Cup semi-final on Tuesday evening.

The hosts needed just four minutes to pose their first real threat when Zayed Al Ameri took control of a poorly cleared ball to cut inside the box and curled a low-effort, which was brilliantly save by keeper Khaled Eisa.

Four minutes later, Abdoulaye Diaby came close to snatching the lead for Al Jazira when he fired a left-footed shot, but it was denied by the keeper.

In the 19th minute, Al Ain started showing their teeth, when Kouame Autonne gave his side the lead with a strong header into the bottom corner of the net following a corner kick.

Only six minutes after the restart, Bruno de Oliveira restored parity for the hosts, when he unleashed a right-footed shot from inside the box beating Eisa into the near post.

Al Jazira, who are defending champions, are at the fifth spot in the standings in league with 29 points from 16 matches.

They have won nine and lost five while two ended in draw. Al Jaizra coach Ten Cate refused to give up on title credentials and vowed to take the fight down to the wire despite being 13 points adrfit of the leaders, who are at the top of the standings with 42 points.

Recently, Al Jazira also played in the FIFA Club World Cup whence they were ousted in the second round after a convincing victory in the opening match.

Of late, Al Jaizra are fighting the demons of the injuries that has plaqued their squad and hampered their campaign both in league and other competitions.

The two sides lock horns again at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the second leg of the semi-final on March 8.

Players of Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wahda in action during their match.

Earlier, ten-man Shabab Al Ahli snatched a 1-0 home victory over Al Wahda in the first leg of the Pro League Cup semi-final at Rashid Stadium.

After a largely quiet first half, the hosts posed their first real threat on Al Wahda goalkeeper Rashed Ali ten minutes before the teams headed to dressing rooms for the break after some great teamwork between Mohammad Juma and Thomas Olsen ended with the former chipping the ball over the goalkeeper but his effort went just wide.

At the hour mark, Juma curled an excellent effort from a well-taken free-kick, but Ali brilliantly saved it.

Tahnoon Al Zaabi came close to giving the visitors the lead when he fired a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box, but his effort hit the post in the 71st minute.

Shabab Al Ahli had to finish the game with ten men as defender Mohamed Jaber was sent off in the 73rd minute with a straight red card after elbowing Khalil Ibrahim who was through on goal.

Ten minutes from time, substitute Gustavo broke the deadlock when he picked up Olsen's pass on the edge of the penalty area, before curling a right-footed effort into the bottom right corner to win it for Shabab Al Ahli.

The two sides lock horns again at Al Nahyan Stadium in the second leg of the semi-final on Tuesday, March 6.

Meanwhile, UAE Pro League committee has made arrangements for the PCR test of the fans for upcoming week. The tests for the Al Jazira vs Sharjah clash will take place for Al Jazira's fans at Khalifa tent on March 3 from 10:00 to 22:00, and at A Nahyan camp for 24 hours, while the tests for Sharjah's fans will be held at Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium in Al Hazana on the same day from 19:00 to 22:00.

The tests for the Al Nasr vs Emirates game will take place for the former's fans on Friday, March 4 from 16:00 to 18:00.

The tests for the Al Dhafra vs Khorfakkan match will be held for Al Dhafra's fans on Thursday, March 3 at Khalifa Tent 10:00 to 22:00 and at Al Nahyan camp for 24 hours, while the tests for Khorfakkan's fans will take place at the club's headquarters from 15:00 to 17:00.

The tests for the Al Wasl vs Ittihad Kalba encounter will be held for Al Wasl's fans on March 3 and 4 from 16:00 till 21:00 at the club headquarters, whereas the tests for Ittihad Kalba's fans will be conducted on the same days at the club headquarters from 17:00 till 19:00.

The tests for the Ajman vs Bani Yas clash will be held for Ajman's fans on March 3 and 4 at Al Wasl's headquarters from 16:00 to 21:00, while the tests for Bani Yas' fans will be conducted on March 3 at Khalifa tent from 10:00 to 22:00 and at A Nahyan camp for 24 hours.

Fans must present a match ticket and Emirates ID card to benefit from the service. For club staff and media representatives, UAE Pro League accreditation cards and Emirates ID are required.