Al Wasl warded off a strong challenge from bottom team Kalba to remain at the top of the tasble in the Etisalat Pro League after the fifth week’s matches with an impressive 2-1 win in Dubai on Sunday.
The hosts virtually sewed up the match with a spot kick in the second minute from Spaniard Francisco Yeste and a blinding volley from Brazilian Alexandre Oliveira in the 33rd minute.
Al Wasl lead the UFL Pro League with 15 points, one more than Al Jazira, whom they meet in an away match on Friday.
But the tough tackling visitors not only prevented them from running riot but deservedly pegged Al Wasl back with a goal from Gregory Dufrennes three minutes before the interval.
The second half was more evenly contested with both sides coming close on several occasions but the scoreline remained unchanged in favour of Al Wasl who notched their fifth win of the season.
Al Shabab stunned 10-man Sharjah 3-0 in the late match at Sharjah Stadium with Chilean international Carlos Villanueva leading their assault.
Villanueva scored on the hour with a classic strike after Musa Hatab picked up his second yellow minutes earlier and then turned provider for Julio Cesar on the stroke of full time. Mohammed Nasser completed the rout with a stoppage time goal to seal the dominance of the visitors.
Promoted Kalba were forced on the back foot from the opening whistle as the boys in yellow swarmed all over their territory.
Under pressure from a free kick by Yeste from the left in the opening minute, Kalba were stunned when the referee pointed to the spot after Yousif Mohammed Yousif appeared to trip Mohammed Abdullah during the melee inside the area.
Yeste stepped up to calmly curl the ball into the left corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Al Wasl doubled their lead in the 33rd minute when Oliveira met a flicked header from Mohammed Jamal following a long goal kick. Oliveira’s stunning drive into the right corner gave the diving Kalba stopper no chance.
With the hosts being lulled into complacency after securing a two-goal cushion and a rout appearing imminent, Kalba showed they were made of sterner stuff as they rallied to stage counter attacks after tightening up their loose ends.
Off one such breakaway, Kalba stunned the hosts with a soft goal in the 42nd minute as the hardworking Dufrennes latched on to a long ball and deftly sidestepped goalkeeper Majed Naser before slotting home.
Buoyed by this goal, Kalba fought back with renewed vigour after the turn around and virtually camped in Al Wasl’s half with Simon Pierre Feindouno and Abdulla Baba Fatadi stringing some moves with Dufrennes always looking dangerous on the break. But the visitors never seriously threatened Nasser thereafter.
On the other hand, Al Wasl weaved through Kalba’s midfield time and again but also failed the shackles with Yeste being a marked man.
Saeed Al Kas who replaced the injured Oliveira at half time came closest when his downward header off a good cross into the box bounced over the bar after a Yeste drive in the 65th minute was blocked.
An alert Ali Mahmoud denied Kalba after Dufrennes set up Ibrahim Abdulla Murad with a nice through ball which beat the goal keeper as Al Wasl held firm to run out winners.
A solitary goal by Al Jazira midfielder Ibrahima Diaky helped his side beat hosts Al Dhafra at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium in the Western Region to raise their tally to 14 points on Saturday.
Diaky, who missed a valuable chance in the 15th minute, put his team in the lead ten minutes later to end the first half 1-0 to Al Jazira.
In the other match, hosts Bani Yas stunned Al Ain with a 3-0 win helped by a brace from Andre Sengahoor who raised his tally to eight goals.
Sengahoor slammed in the first goal in the 38th minute off Diyab Awana’s cross. Ismail Ahmed then made a blunder which saw Omani player Fawzi Basheir score Bani Yas’ second in the 63rd minute.
Sengahoor added his second goal pouncing on an error by defender Farid Juma to emerge as top goal scorer of the season.