Al Ahli not taking six-point halfway lead for granted

Three first-half goals in a sound display of authority but the league leaders are on guard against complacency.

Al Ahli’s keeper Saif Yousuf blocked a penalty kick in the 40th minute to deny Al Dhafra. Sammy Dallal / The National

DUBAI // Having lost their last two duels against Al Dhafra, Al Ahli were perhaps looking to make a point last night, and they did it in emphatic fashion with a commanding 3-1 win.

Goals from Grafite, Ismail Al Hammadi and Hugo Viana – all in the first 36 minutes – helped Ahli down an opponent who had defeated them 3-1 in a League Cup match in September and 2-1 in the Arabian Gulf League last season. The victory also helped Ahli finish the first half of the league with a six-point lead at the top.

For Catalin Raducan, though, the lead means nothing and the man standing in as Ahli coach for the suspended Cosmin Olaroiu warned his players against getting carried away.

“It is very important for the players to understand we have not achieved anything till now,” he said. “We are only leading at the mid-way stage. The most important thing is to be leading at the end.

“Of course, we are in a good position, but six points are nothing. We have to play 13 more games and it is not going to be easy for us, because every team will be playing at more than 100 per cent against us.

“So it is very important for the players to make sure we continue like this till the end. We have to remember we will be playing in the [Asian] Champions League as well, so nothing will be easy.”

Raducan, however, was pleased with the way his players took care of the job. Knowing they had the opportunity to stretch their lead at the top, Ahli made a forceful start and their sustained pressure eventually bore fruits when Grafite booted home Ciel’s inch-perfect cross in the 21st minute.

Seven minutes later, though, Al Hammadi sliced in, getting in front of his marker to flick Grafite’s cross into the nets. The score was 3-0 in the 36th minute after Hugo Viana pounced on a poor clearance and launched it back toward the goal – a deflection off defender Bilal Najjarine carried the ball past the keeper.

Dhafra had an opportunity to pull one back in the 40th minute, when they were awarded a penalty after Bandar Mohammed fell down following a tussle with Walid Abbas, but Saif Yousuf did well to block Makhete Diop’s shot from the spot.

Diop did manage to score before the end, though, a consolation three minutes from time. But in injury time, Ali Abbas picked up his second red of the league season, following a second booking for an elbow on Ahmed Khalil, to make it a disappointing night for the visitors.

Abdullah Misfir, the Dhafra manager, was not happy with the referee’s decision to send off Abbas, but conceded Ahli deserved to win.

“They started positively from the first minute and took advantage of our defensive mistakes,” he said. “The positive thing is, we were more focused in the second half. Had we concentrated a bit more, we could have scored more.”

Al Ain 3 Al Wasl 0

Al Ain got the New Year off to a positive start with a comfortable win Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League last night. Goals from Asamoah Gyan, Mohanad Salem and Alex Brosque ensured that the defending league champions ended the first half of the season on 21 points, while Al Wasl remain on 17 points. It took Al Ain just 13 minutes to go ahead, and it was that man Gyan netting again as he headed in Ahmed Al Shamisi’s cross. They doubled their lead before half time, with centre-back Salem heading home from Omar Abdulrahman’s corner kick. The hosts cruised after Brosque fired home to make it three.

Al Wahda 2 Al Shaab 0

Al Wahda made considerable strides up the table with victory over Al Shaab last night. Marco Estrada and Sebastian Tagliabue were on target at the Al Nahyan Stadium to condemn Al Shaab to their 10th defeat of the season, leaving them at the bottom of the standings on seven points.

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