|
Dubai: The title race became wide open in the etisalat First Division Football League. Leaders Al Shabab lost two points while second-placed Al Jazira were defeated by Al Ain. Third-placed Al Shaab did not play due to the postponement of their match against Al Wahda, in view of the latter's participation in the Asian Champions League.
Sharjah benefited from this situation by jumping to the fourth place after beating Hatta 2-1. Thanks to an injury-time goal scored by Salim Saif which raised their points tally to 25, just 4 points separating them from top team Al Shabab who were forced to a 2-2 draw by Emirates.
Al Shabab squandered their first-half 2-0 lead in the second half when Emirates strikers, the Iranian duo of Rasoul Kahtibi and Redha Enayati, levelled the scoring in the last 15 minutes.
It was a tough match for Al Shabab who faced a team fighting to keep away from the relegation zone. Despite snatching a point from the leaders, Emirates stayed at the bottom.
Al Jazira lost a good chance to go on top after they were beaten 4-3 by Al Ain. Al Shabab were happy with Al Jazira's defeat on Friday night, however on Saturday the Al Jazira became more happier with the Al Shabab losing two points in Ras Al Khaimah.
Had Al Shabab won against Emirates, the gap would have widened to four points. Now it is down to 2 points, with Al Shabab on 29 and Al Jazira on 27.
Saving grace
The post came to Al Ain's rescue on Friday night when Tony's shot at the end of the first half bounced off the post with the score board reading 3-1 for Al Jazira. Had that ball gone in, it would have been difficult for Al Ain to come back.
However, they stormed back in the second half with the Al Jazira players retreating to keep their 3-1 lead. That gave Al Ain a chance to press harder until they levelled and scored the winner in injury time.
Ali Khasif, the Al Jazira custodian, showed poor form as he made a lot of errors, which contributed to Al Ain's victory.
Al Nasr lost two points when they were held at home to a 1-1 draw by Al Dhafra. The Al Nasr officials criticised young referee Fahd Al Kassar. Qadhi Moroashid, the Al Nasr board chairman, has asked the referees' committee to appoint experienced referees for important matches.
|
