Shabab Al Ahli, Al Ain share spoils Mlapa’s late goal hands Kalba win

Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba’s header was cancelled out by Yousif Jaber’s goal as Shabab Al Ahli and Al Ain played out a 1-1 draw at Rashid Stadium in matchweek 2 of the Arabian Gulf League on Friday.

In the 17th minute, Wilson Eduardo dribbled through Shabab Al Ahli’s defense and sent a cross over to the penalty area. The ball bounced off the defense only for Mohamed Abdelrahman to send a powerful shot that was brilliantly saved by Majed Nasser.

After Heldon Ramos intercepted the ball, he found himself one-on-one with Al Ain’s goalkeeper but shot the ball poorly to miss a chance to hand his team the lead in the 33rd minute.

In the 55th minute, the Boss opened the scoring after an outstanding cross from Bandar Al Ahbabi that was converted into a goal through a perfect header from Kodjo Laba, bringing the score up to 1-0 for Al Ain.

An exceptional dribble from Eduardo past the Boss’ defense was converted into a robust shot but Humaid pulled off a great save to deny it in the 65th minute.

The Boss made a comeback in the 75th minute, when Yousef Jaber sent a header into Khalid Eisa’s net after a cross from Aziz Ganiev to make it 1-1.

Following the draw, Shabab Al Ahli climbed up to the 4th spot before their next match against Al Wahda, while Al Ain now holds the 5th spot ahead of their next game against Sharjah.

KALBA EDGE AJMAN: A late goal from Peniel Mlapa handed Ittihad Kalba a 1-0 win over Ajman at Rashid Bin Saeed Stadium in another matchweek 2 game of the AGL on Friday.

Both sides failed to create real goalscoring chances in the first half, with most of play being restricted to the midfield area.

The most dangerous chance of the first half came in the 41st minute, when a long ball fell to Ahmed Jshak, but his effort was saved by keeper Ali Al Hosani.

On the other side of the field, Ajman’s Gustavo Vagenin tried his luck with a strong effort, but Kalba’s keeper Jamal Abdulla denied it.

As the game seemed to be headed to a draw, Peniel Mlapa netted the winner for Kalba in the 89th minute. The Togolese forward received the ball on the edge of the box, dribbled past the defender before firing home. This marked Ajman’s second defeat in a row and Kalba’s first league win. Ajman will next host Hatta, while Kalba will play against Al Jazira away from home.

COACH LIPPI CALLS IT A DAY: Former China PR, Guangzhou Evergrande and FIFA World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi has called time on his coaching career.

Lippi, who guided Italy to the 2006 FIFA World Cup title, has not handled a team since resigning as China PR head coach last November.

The Italian called time on his second stint as China PR head coach following a defeat to Syria in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Lippi’s distinguished career saw the 72-year-old taste success with Italy, Serie A giants Juventus and Guangzhou Evergrande but the Italian great said he is done with coaching.

“I’m definitely done with the coaching job,” Lippi told Radio Sportiva. “That’s right, it’s enough. Maybe I could be useful in other roles, let’s see. But nothing until spring.”

Lippi, after stints with Atalanta and Napoli, took charge of Juventus in 1994 and guided them to three Serie A titles and the club’s last Champions League trophy in 1995-96.

Across two stints as Juventus head coach, having also squeezed in a one-year tenure with Inter Milan, Lippi won five Serie A trophies, four Supercoppa Italiana crowns, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and Coppa Italia.

After leaving Juventus in 2004, Lippi helped Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and he was re-appointed by the Azzurri in 2008 following two years away from the national team.

Marcello Lippi-Guangzhou Evergrande-AFP Lippi joined Guangzhou Evergrande in 2012 and claimed three Chinese Super League titles and the AFC Champions League trophy to go with Chinese FA Cup and Chinese FA Super Cup success.

He took charge of China PR in 2016 and guided them to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, after which he announced his departure.

Lippi was, however, reinstated as China PR head coach ahead of the Asian Qualifiers but the Italian took responsibility for the 2-1 defeat to Syria in a Group A tie last November and resigned.