Stumbling giants Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club risk being left behind in the\u00a02020\/21 Arabian Gulf League\u2019s\u00a0title race after an absorbing match-week nine.
\nGoalless home draws with Ajman and Al Dhafra, respectively, opened up a sizeable gap to the leading trio with more than a third of the season played. Unbeaten leaders Sharjah maintained a three-point advantage on Thursday thanks to Brazilian striker Welliton\u2019s heroics in a 2-1 win against his former club Al Wasl, UAE attackers Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkhout combined on Friday for second-placed Al Jazira to prevail 2-0 in the capital derby while Al Wahda and centre-back Mohammed Ali Ayed\u2019s back-post header settled an entertaining 3-2 triumph for third-placed Al Nasr versus lowly Fujairah.
\nElsewhere, sterling campaigns continued for fourth-placed Ittihad Kalba and fifth-placed Bani Yas. Swiss playmaker Davide Mariani was the star man for the former with an assist and goal in a feisty 2-1 downing of Khor Fakkan that ended with both sides down to 10 men, while Argentine midfielders Nicolas Gimenez and Gaston Suarez inspired the latter\u2019s 3-0 humbling of bottom-placed Hatta.
\nHere are\u00a0Sport360\u00b0\u2019s\u00a0top picks and a talking point:
\nPLAYER OF THE WEEK
\nWelliton (Sharjah)
\n(UAE Pro League).
\nA familiar face wrought familiar pain on an ex-employer \u2013 plus, gained a familiar result for his current paymasters.
\nWelliton only returned to Sharjah \u2013\u00a0 for whom 2018\/19 title joy was the highlight of three outstanding years of prior service – in September once a serious knee injury waylaid unfortunate new signing Jonathas on the eve of the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage\u2019s resumption. This, however, is a special union between player and club.
\nDevious movement opened the scoring versus Wasl, a side on whom he notched nine times in 14 top-flight appearances during an abridged 2019\/20, before a thumping 95th-minute header settled it for the King. That\u2019s now 12 goals in his last 14 run-outs for Welliton, while four strikes past the 85-minute mark from indefatigable Sharjah have added six points to their pacesetting tally.
\nGOAL OF THE WEEK
\nAli Mabkhout (Al Jazira)
\n#\u0639\u0644\u064a_\u0645\u0628\u062e\u0648\u062a \u064a\u0631\u0627\u0648\u063a \u062d\u0627\u0631\u0633 #\u0627\u0644\u0648\u062d\u062f\u0629 \u0628\u0645\u0647\u0627\u0631\u0629 \u0648\u064a\u0633\u062c\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u062b\u0627\u0646\u064a..\u0628\u0639\u062f \u062a\u0645\u0631\u064a\u0631\u0629 \u0645\u062a\u0642\u0646\u0629 \u0645\u0646 #\u0639\u0628\u062f\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647_\u0631\u0645\u0636\u0627\u0646.. \u0645\u0647\u0627\u062c\u0645 #\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629 \u064a\u0639\u0632\u0632 \u062a\u0642\u062f\u0645 \u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u0647#\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629_\u0627\u0644\u0648\u062d\u062f\u0629 #\u062f\u0648\u0631\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u062e\u0644\u064a\u062c_\u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a #\u0623\u0628\u0648\u0638\u0628\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u0631\u064a\u0627\u0636\u064a\u0629 1 pic.twitter.com\/yrP5C3fnNg— \u0642\u0646\u0627\u0629 \u0623\u0628\u0648\u0638\u0628\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0631\u064a\u0627\u0636\u064a\u0629 (@ADSportsTV) December 11, 2020
\nA goalscoring legend continues adding to his rich history.
\nAnother classic to add to the UAE record breaker\u2019s 148-goal top-flight tally \u2013\u00a0only 18 behind Al Wasl icon Fahad Khamees\u00a0\u2013 arrived in the beating of Wahda. Outstanding midfield prospect Abdullah Ramadan\u2019s searing throughball cut a path through the visiting defence.
\nMabkhout trapped the ball at pace, stood up international colleague Mohammed Al Shamsi with a series of Ronaldo-esque step-overs and slotted into an open goal. Elite.
\nCOACH OF THE WEEK
\nJorge Da Silva (Ittihad Kalba)
\n(Twitter\/@ittihadkalbafc).
\nWonders continue to be worked on the UAE\u2019s east coast by a Uruguayan veteran.
\nAn intense victory against 11th-placed Khor Fakkan was secured through Togo striker Peniel Mlapa\u2019s fourth goal in eight AGL run-outs and Shabab Al Ahli-owned Mariani\u2019s delicate swivel and finish.
\nThat\u2019s now four wins from five fixtures. These outstanding results put this former yo-yo club on course to comfortably beat their previous best finish of 11th\u00a0during the professional era.
\nTALKING POINT
\nAL AIN\u2019S SEASON OF DISCONTENT
\nFreshly installed sporting director David Platt\u00a0is set for a frantic winter.
\nThe Englishman \u2013 not to be mistaken for his famous namesake \u2013 has been handed the daunting task of turning fortunes around at the UAE\u2019s most-decorated club. In truth, it is hard to know where to begin after\u00a0their worst start to a season in 13 years following the first five match-weeks.
\nThursday\u2019s stalemate with Ajman saw Al Ain slip down to sixth, behind Kalba and Bani Yas.
\nOnly five sides have scored fewer than their 13 goals, though a disparity to their expected goals (18.26) of more than five showcases the side\u2019s inefficiency. They also possess the third-worst defence in the top half with 10 let in.
\nThe division\u2019s\u00a0second-highest ball possession of 62.2 per cent\u00a0has not been able to insulate them from these issues.
\nKazakhstan skipper Bauyrzhan Islamkhan is unavailable because of alleged problems with the AFC,\u00a0according to\u00a0Al Bayan,\u00a0and unconvincing Angola forward Wilson Eduardo has struck twice in 12 run-outs. Successful surgery to the foreign quartet during the notoriously tricky mid-season market is, however, just a starting point.
\nIn competitions where the number of expats are capped, residual strength is found in the local contingent. Unfortunately for Al Ain, they appear within the midst of an alarming descent in this area.
\nA changing of the guard from Omar Abdulrahman, Ismail Ahmed and Mohanad Salem\u2019s generation to the current one has been beset with problems. Rayan Yaslam\u2019s recurrent fitness issues have been truly unfortunate, yet the likes of uncapped Salem Abdullah and Saeed Jumaa do not seem equipped with the same skill sets.
\nRaids in the notoriously tricky and complex domestic scene remain essential.
\nThis is without considering coach Pedro Emanuel\u2019s long-term viability, plus how a winning mentality can be reinstalled after the rapid descents following 2017\/18\u2019s double.
\nThe Boss by (nick)name, not by nature.
\nMATCH-WEEK NINE RESULTS
\nThursday
\nAl Ain 0-0 Ajman
\nAl Nasr 3-2 Fujairah
\nSharjah 2-1 Al Wasl
\nFriday
\nShabab Al Ahli Dubai Club 0-0 Al Dhafra
\nHatta 0-3 Bani Yas
\nKhor Fakkan 1-2 Ittihad Kalba
\nAl Jazira 2-0 Al Wahda<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Stumbling giants Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club risk being left behind in the\u00a02020\/21 Arabian Gulf League\u2019s\u00a0title race after an absorbing match-week nine.
\nGoalless home draws with Ajman and Al Dhafra, respectively, opened up a sizeable gap to the leading trio with more than a third of the season played. Unbeaten leaders Sharjah maintained a three-point advantage on Thursday thanks to Brazilian striker Welliton\u2019s heroics in a 2-1 win against his former club Al Wasl, UAE attackers Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkhout combined on Friday for second-placed Al Jazira to prevail 2-0 in the capital derby while Al Wahda and centre-back Mohammed Ali Ayed\u2019s back-post header settled an entertaining 3-2 triumph for third-placed Al Nasr versus lowly Fujairah.
\nElsewhere, sterling campaigns continued for fourth-placed Ittihad Kalba and fifth-placed Bani Yas. Swiss playmaker Davide Mariani was the star man for the former with an assist and goal in a feisty 2-1 downing of Khor Fakkan that ended with both sides down to 10 men, while Argentine midfielders Nicolas Gimenez and Gaston Suarez inspired the latter\u2019s 3-0 humbling of bottom-placed Hatta.
\nHere are\u00a0Sport360\u00b0\u2019s\u00a0top picks and a talking point:
\nPLAYER OF THE WEEK
\nWelliton (Sharjah)
\n(UAE Pro League).
\nA familiar face wrought familiar pain on an ex-employer \u2013 plus, gained a familiar result for his current paymasters.
\nWelliton only returned to Sharjah \u2013\u00a0 for whom 2018\/19 title joy was the highlight of three outstanding years of prior service \u2013 in September once a serious knee injury waylaid unfortunate new signing Jonathas on the eve of the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage\u2019s resumption. This, however, is a special union between player and club.
\nDevious movement opened the scoring versus Wasl, a side on whom he notched nine times in 14 top-flight appearances during an abridged 2019\/20, before a thumping 95th-minute header settled it for the King. That\u2019s now 12 goals in his last 14 run-outs for Welliton, while four strikes past the 85-minute mark from indefatigable Sharjah have added six points to their pacesetting tally.
\nGOAL OF THE WEEK
\nAli Mabkhout (Al Jazira)
\n#\u0639\u0644\u064a_\u0645\u0628\u062e\u0648\u062a \u064a\u0631\u0627\u0648\u063a \u062d\u0627\u0631\u0633 #\u0627\u0644\u0648\u062d\u062f\u0629 \u0628\u0645\u0647\u0627\u0631\u0629 \u0648\u064a\u0633\u062c\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u062b\u0627\u0646\u064a..\u0628\u0639\u062f \u062a\u0645\u0631\u064a\u0631\u0629 \u0645\u062a\u0642\u0646\u0629 \u0645\u0646 #\u0639\u0628\u062f\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647_\u0631\u0645\u0636\u0627\u0646.. \u0645\u0647\u0627\u062c\u0645 #\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629 \u064a\u0639\u0632\u0632 \u062a\u0642\u062f\u0645 \u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u0647#\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629_\u0627\u0644\u0648\u062d\u062f\u0629 #\u062f\u0648\u0631\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u062e\u0644\u064a\u062c_\u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a #\u0623\u0628\u0648\u0638\u0628\u064a_\u0627\u0644\u0631\u064a\u0627\u0636\u064a\u0629 1 pic.twitter.com\/yrP5C3fnNg\u2014 \u0642\u0646\u0627\u0629 \u0623\u0628\u0648\u0638\u0628\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0631\u064a\u0627\u0636\u064a\u0629 (@ADSportsTV) December 11, 2020
\nA goalscoring legend continues adding to his rich history.
\nAnother classic to add to the UAE record breaker\u2019s 148-goal top-flight tally \u2013\u00a0only 18 behind Al Wasl icon Fahad Khamees\u00a0\u2013 arrived in the beating of Wahda. Outstanding midfield prospect Abdullah Ramadan\u2019s searing throughball cut a path through the visiting defence.
\nMabkhout trapped the ball at pace, stood up international colleague Mohammed Al Shamsi with a series of Ronaldo-esque step-overs and slotted into an open goal. Elite.
\nCOACH OF THE WEEK
\nJorge Da Silva (Ittihad Kalba)
\n(Twitter\/@ittihadkalbafc).
\nWonders continue to be worked on the UAE\u2019s east coast by a Uruguayan veteran.
\nAn intense victory against 11th-placed Khor Fakkan was secured through Togo striker Peniel Mlapa\u2019s fourth goal in eight AGL run-outs and Shabab Al Ahli-owned Mariani\u2019s delicate swivel and finish.
\nThat\u2019s now four wins from five fixtures. These outstanding results put this former yo-yo club on course to comfortably beat their previous best finish of 11th\u00a0during the professional era.
\nTALKING POINT
\nAL AIN\u2019S SEASON OF DISCONTENT
\nFreshly installed sporting director David Platt\u00a0is set for a frantic winter.
\nThe Englishman \u2013 not to be mistaken for his famous namesake \u2013 has been handed the daunting task of turning fortunes around at the UAE\u2019s most-decorated club. In truth, it is hard to know where to begin after\u00a0their worst start to a season in 13 years following the first five match-weeks.
\nThursday\u2019s stalemate with Ajman saw Al Ain slip down to sixth, behind Kalba and Bani Yas.
\nOnly five sides have scored fewer than their 13 goals, though a disparity to their expected goals (18.26) of more than five showcases the side\u2019s inefficiency. They also possess the third-worst defence in the top half with 10 let in.
\nThe division\u2019s\u00a0second-highest ball possession of 62.2 per cent\u00a0has not been able to insulate them from these issues.
\nKazakhstan skipper Bauyrzhan Islamkhan is unavailable because of alleged problems with the AFC,\u00a0according to\u00a0Al Bayan,\u00a0and unconvincing Angola forward Wilson Eduardo has struck twice in 12 run-outs. Successful surgery to the foreign quartet during the notoriously tricky mid-season market is, however, just a starting point.
\nIn competitions where the number of expats are capped, residual strength is found in the local contingent. Unfortunately for Al Ain, they appear within the midst of an alarming descent in this area.
\nA changing of the guard from Omar Abdulrahman, Ismail Ahmed and Mohanad Salem\u2019s generation to the current one has been beset with problems. Rayan Yaslam\u2019s recurrent fitness issues have been truly unfortunate, yet the likes of uncapped Salem Abdullah and Saeed Jumaa do not seem equipped with the same skill sets.
\nRaids in the notoriously tricky and complex domestic scene remain essential.
\nThis is without considering coach Pedro Emanuel\u2019s long-term viability, plus how a winning mentality can be reinstalled after the rapid descents following 2017\/18\u2019s double.
\nThe Boss by (nick)name, not by nature.
\nMATCH-WEEK NINE RESULTS
\nThursday
\nAl Ain 0-0 Ajman
\nAl Nasr 3-2 Fujairah
\nSharjah 2-1 Al Wasl
\nFriday
\nShabab Al Ahli Dubai Club 0-0 Al Dhafra
\nHatta 0-3 Bani Yas
\nKhor Fakkan 1-2 Ittihad Kalba
\nAl Jazira 2-0 Al Wahda<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9012"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9013,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9012\/revisions\/9013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}