Ibrahim Diaky came off the bench to score the winner with just seconds left as Al Ain inflicted a first defeat of the season on Al Shabab in the Arabian Gulf League.
Diaky, returning from injury for his first league appearance of the season, knocked in a rebound after the Shabab goalkeeper Salem Abdullah parried Mohammed Abdulrahman’s low cross into the veteran midfielder’s path as Al Ain ran out 2-1 winners at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Al Ain were coming into the game on the back of last week’s shock 2-2 draw against lowly Dibba and another stalemate would have left them in fifth place, three points behind the leaders Al Jazira, who were held to a 1-1 draw away at Emirates in the early kick off.
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But Diaky’s late winner means they are now on 13 points to share second spot in the table with Shabab and Al Ahli, who put Hatta to the sword 6-0 at Rashid Stadium in Dubai.
The Brazilian Caio put Al Ain ahead with a rasping and rising right-foot shot from just inside the area on 54 minutes.
Rashed Hassan cancelled it with a 30-yard shot four minutes after Shabab were reduced to 10 men following a red card shown to Hassan Ibrahim for a dangerous tackle.
Al Ain pressed for the winner. Diaky was denied by Abdullah, who made a reflex save minutes before full time, but could not deny the same opponent when presented with the simplest of chances four minutes into time added on.
In the night’s other games, Sebastian Tagliabue was on target five times as Al Wahda thumped Sharjah 7-1 to move up to fifth in the table.
The Argentine, winner of both the Golden Boot and the Foreign Player of the Year awards last season, took his tally to 10 from six games to take him top of the scoring chart.
Rim Chang-woo opened the scoring for Wahda at Sharjah Stadium on 13 minutes but gifted the hosts a route back into the game when he put through his own net just before the half-hour.
Tagliabue regained the lead for the visitors on 37 minutes and added four more in the second half after Mohammed Al Akberi had made it 3-1.
Rodrigo Lima found the net four times for Al Ahli in their thrashing of Hatta. Ahmed Khalil opened the scoring on 16 minutes and Everton Ribeiro completed the rout with a goal in added time.
Al Jazira were held to a 1-1 draw by Emirates. Ali Mabkhout put the visitors ahead before Ahmed Ibrahim equalised. Mabkhout squandered the chance to secure all three points for Henk ten Cate’s side when he blasted his last-minute penalty against the crossbar.
RESULTS:
Wednesday
• Emirates 1 Al Jazira 1
• Al Ahli 6 Hatta 0
• Al Ain 2 Al Shabab 1
• Sharjah 1 Al Wahda 7
FIXTURES:
Thursday
• Kalba v Al Wasl, 4.50pm
• Al Nasr v Dibba, 8pm
• Baniyas v Al Dhafra, 8pm
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