Oliveira helps Kalba eke out win against Fujairah

Peniel Mlapa scored early in the game as Kalba snatched a hard fought 1-0 victory against Fujairah at Fujairah Stadium in Matchweek 17 of the Arabian Gulf League on Friday night.

It only took the Tigers four minutes to take the lead, when Wanderson Oliveira received the ball up the left wing and sent a ground cross that was met by Peniel Mlapa, who was left with a simple tap in from a close range.

Kalba kept pushing forward and in the 16th minute they were awarded a penalty kick after Fahad Sabeel tackled Ricardo Gomes inside the box. Gomes failed to convert from the spot as his strike was blocked by the crossbar.

The visitors continued to be the better side as they dominated the majority of position and kept the ball away from their penalty area until the first half came to an end.

Ten minutes after the restart, the Wolves responded when Fernando Gabriel cut on left before unleashing a screamer that was brilliantly parried away by Jamal Al Sarrah. However, Fujairah’s second half efforts weren’t enough to find the equaliser as they suffered another defeat.

Following the game, Kalba occupy the 11th spot with 16 points and will host Al Jazira next week. Meanwhile, Fujairah remain 13th with 12 points ahead of their difficult encounter against Al Ain in Matchweek 18.

Meanwhile, the UAE Pro League launched its latest project “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020”, in a ceremony held at the Youth Hub – Abu Dhabi in the presence of UAE Pro League Chairman Abdulla Naser Al Junaibi, CEO Waleed Al Hosani, players from Al Dhafra and Al Wahda clubs, representatives of the participating universities; Zayed University, Khalifa University, American University of Sharjah and American University in the Emirates, representatives of Al Jazira and Bani Yas clubs as well as UAE PL directors.

The event started with a speech by Chairman Al Junaibi in which he welcomed participants. “Creativity and Innovation know no limits; a person just needs to be ambitious and confident in their abilities to create ideas that can benefit society,” said Al Junaibi, encouraging the students to share all their suggestions and vowing that the UAEPL will endeavor to support those ideas.

The “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020” event continued with a series of presentation about the UAEPL’s efforts in various areas including marketing and promotion and broadcast.

The presentations showcased the work mechanisms and the projects delivered by the UAEPL and those planned in the future, with the aim of equipping participants with the necessary knowledge that can help them come up with new, additional suggestions to develop football in the UAE in general and especially the Arabian Gulf League. Bani Yas and Al Jazira clubs delivered presentations about their own promotional projects and initiatives.