Diaky on target in 4-0 rout of Baniyas

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Ibrahim Diaky admitted to a TV interviewer after the match that fans who had criticized his play in the early part of this season ... had a point.

The Al Jazira captain and playmaker, the pivot of their attack during their three consecutive runners-up finishes in the Pro League, had seemed strangely passive and at times almost invisible during the side's first four matches this season, scoring only one goal.

That all changed tonight as he scored two goals and assisted on a third as Jazira broke open what was a tight and evenly contested match with three goals in the final 17 minutes.

Diaky scored in the 37th minute to give Jazira an edge that never really felt comfortable until the second goal.

He said he entered the match determined to again be the player Jazira supporters expect him to be. "I know my capacity," he said. "I know I can play very well."

He said Jazira's goal this season is its first Pro League title. "Our goal is to win the league," he said.

When asked what he thought the odds of a Jazira championship were, 80 per cent, 90 per cent, 100 per cent, he said: "We think it's 100 per cent."

Jazira are the last unbeaten team in the league. The club have lost only once in 27 matches, going back to the start of the 2009/10 season.

Another Jazira player who had a strong match tonight was Ali Kasheif, the goalkeeper who was back after a week off following the death of his father.

Kasheif held the opposition scoreless for the third time in four matches, He has been beaten only once in 360 minutes.

Jazira's place atop the table may be short-lived, this weekend. Wasl is on nine points and is away to Shabab on Saturday night. A Wasl victory vaults the seven-times champions into the top spot.