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Dubai: Al Wasl shot down Al Shaab hopes of winning the league title after a 2-0 victory at the Khalid Bin Mohammad Stadium in Sharjah yesterday.
The defeat sunk Al Shaab to sixth place in the league with 27 points, while Al Wasl returned to seventh with 26.
The match was the last chance for Al Shaab to stay in the title hunt, but they showed poor form and failed to create any scoring chances.
For the first time this season in the league, Al Wasl did not field their three Brazilians, after coach Ze Mario was forced into a rethink, following the suspension of Oliviera and Diaz and the injury to Rogerio.
Al Shaab, on the other hand, fielded their three foreigners, but Iranian strikers Ali Samera and Mehrzad Maadanchi and Tunisian Adil Shazly, failed to make a breakthrough in the well-organised Al Wasl defence.
A goalless first half to the game was turned on its head in the 54th minute when young striker Rashid Eissa opened the scoring for Al Wasl, following a fine pass by Khalid Darwish.
Eissa chested the ball down and fired a left-foot shot to the left of the Al Shaab goalkeeper Ramadan Mal Allah.
Al Shaab failed to make any headway and came up against determined resistance in Al Wasl goalkeeper Majid Naser and his defenders.
Eissa Ali sealed victory for Al Wasl in injury time with a spectacular shot from close range after an Ennazy cross from the right.
In yesterday's second match, Al Ain pulled Emirates deeper into relegation trouble after a 2-1 victory in Ras Al Khaimah.
Osman Gallo (10 minutes) and Faris Juma (64) scored for Al Ain with Rajab Zadeh hitting Emirates only goal on 35 minutes.
Al Ain went fifth with 29 points but Emirates stayed 11th with 14 points and only three matches left to play.
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