AGL Week in Review: Merciless Al Ahli, clinical Al Wahda impress in openers

Ahmed Rizvi examines the week that ways in the UAE top flight, where Al Ahli put eight past Fujairah to signal their strength and Al Wahda handled Dibba 4-0.

Ahmed Khalil, Ismail Al Hammadi and Al Ahli stormed to the top of the Arabian Gulf League table with their 8-1 win on Wednesday night. Warren Little / Getty Images

With Week 1 of the 2015/16 Arabian Gulf League in the books, we take a look at the results and talking points from the opening round.

The Results

Al Ahli 8-1 Fujairah

Fujairah looked hapless on the opening night of the league as Al Ahli steamrollered the visitors to record one of the biggest wins by any team in the professional era of the league. Ismail Al Hammadi scored three for the hosts, as many as he netted in each of the two previous seasons. The Brazilian duo of Everton Ribeiro and Rodrigo Lima scored two each, and Ahmed Khalil got one. Hassan Maatouk struck the consolation for the visitors.

Dibba 0-4 Al Wahda

Starting the season without their Chilean "Magician" Jorge Valdivia, Al Wahda confirmed their tag as one of the favourites for the title this season with an impressive performance.

All their goals came in the second half, with Argentinian striker Sebastian Tagliabue scoring twice and Mohammed Al Akbari and Badr Al Harthi getting one each.

Al Shaab 0-2 Baniyas

Impressed by his team's performance at promoted Al Shaab, Baniyas coach Luis Garcia has announced his team as potential dark horses and warned the favourites to ­beware.

All three of Baniyas’s foreign players – Mark Milligan, Joaquin Larrivey and Ishak Belfodil – looked good on the night, with the last two scoring a goal each. The arrival of a fourth foreign player could make Garcia’s squad even stronger.

Al Shabab 2-1 Sharjah

Up 2-0 after 67 minutes following goals from Henrique Luvannor (10th minute) and Carlos Villanueva, Al Shabab seemed to be cruising towards a comfortable win, especially with Sharjah being reduced to 10 men six minutes later following Shahin Abdulrahman's second yellow of the night.

A red card for Essa Mohammed in the 87th minute, however, saw Shabab scampering to the finish after Wanderley scored from the penalty spot for Sharjah two minutes from time.

Al Ain 3-1 Al Dhafra

The defending champions were not as merciless as rivals Ahli, but got their campaign off and running with a comfortable victory without Emmanuel ­Emenike.

The Nigerian striker, who suffered a leg injury in the Super Cup win, also was not on the bench. Saeed Al Kathiri was given the job of leading the attack and he did a fair job, scoring Al Ain's second two minutes after Lee Myung-joo (27th) opened the scoring.

Rashid Essa, who came on as a sub for Al Kathiri in the 73rd minute, scored the third four minutes from time, while Hamad Ali Al Ahbabi got the consolation for the visitors in injury time.

Al Nasr 2-1 Emirates

Two goals from Luis Jimenez in the final 28 minutes of the match spared Al Nasr's from a surprise defeat or draw after veteran Haider Ali had given the visitors a 41st-minute lead.

The tide for Nasr turned in the 61st minute following the introduction of new signing Jires Kembo Ekoko. The Congolese, who played for Al Ain last season, announced his arrival in Dubai with a thundering shot that spilled in Jimenez’s path and the former Ahli man levelled the score. He volleyed home the winner five minutes from time to secure three points for last season’s cup double victors.

Al Jazira 1-2 Al Wasl

Held to a 2-2 draw by promoted Fujairah in their opening AGL home game of last season, Al Jazira were stunned by Wasl this time around after being reduced to 10 men in the 23rd minute.

Three minutes before Musallem Fayez’s red card, Hugo Viana had put Wasl ahead from a free-kick. Thiago Neves levelled the scores in the first half, but a fortuitous deflection five minutes after the break allowed Yaser Salem to lob the ball over Ali Kashief for the three points.

Players of the week

Rodrigo Lima. Impressive in Ahli's pre-season warm-up matches, the 32-year-old Brazilian had a blast on the opening night of the AGL as well, scoring two and playing a part in two of Ismail Al Hammadi's three goals. Looks a worthy replacement for Grafite.

Ismail Al Hammadi. Off the pitch, the 27-year-old Emirati is as quiet as they come, loath to making any conversation. On the pitch, though, he is a different character, bubbly and bursting with energy, and his three goals, equalling his total in the two previous seasons, were a just reward for his efforts on a muggy night.

Saeed Al Kathiri. Leading the Al Ain attack in the absence of the injured Emmanuel Emenike, the Emirati could have scored three as well, but hit the post once and saw another effort tipped over the bar.

Main talking points

The heat

Mid-August is not the best time to be playing football in the Gulf. Just sitting outdoors, or in the stands, for 90 minutes can be a massive challenge in the stifling conditions. The weather, then, rightfully dominated post-match discussion with the coaches and players expressing their concerns.

The red mist

You can blame the heat and tired legs for the opening week’s four send-offs as well. Late, clumsy challenges saw Bakary Kone of Dibba, Jazira’s Musallem Fayez, Shahin Abdulrahman of Sharjah and Shabab’s Essa Mohammed get red cards. The clubs can only hope the Disciplinary Committee will show some leniency in dealing with them.

Shocker at Jazira

It was never going to be an easy game for them, but still the result is a surprise. Al Jazira, with their array of stars on the pitch and Abel Braga in the dugout, were expected to win their opening game, especially since they were playing at home.

Instead, Al Wasl took the three points and, though it would be harsh to judge Jazira on the basis of one game where they were reduced to 10 men after 23 minutes, some observers will be wondering if Jazira were a bit cocky sticking with a defence that had leaked 46 goals – the most among the 12 surviving teams of last ­season.

Quote of the week

“The most important thing is to understand this result is worth just three points and we have not achieved anything. We should not start pretending we are better than we actually are.”

- Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu after his team’s 8-1 win over ­Fujairah

Stat of the week

2 – A team has scored eight goals in a league match only twice since the start of the professional era, in 2008/09, and on both occasions it has been Al Ahli. The goal total in the 8-1 opening-round win over Fujairah has been matched only in their 8-0 victory over Ajman in April, 2010.

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