The story of the match
Two teams harbouring outside aspirations of a sustained title challenge provided little evidence of their prospects last night, as Al Nasr and Al Wahda played out an abject goalless draw at Al Maktoum Stadium.
The hosts, top of the table before this week’s round of matches, remain unbeaten. But they will feel this was two points dropped, rather than one gained.
Admittedly, Wahda represent one of the division’s better clubs, yet they were reduced to 10 men 11 minutes before half time.
Mohammed Al Menhali was the culprit, receiving a second booking for a second infringement on Jires Kembo Ekoko. A man to the good, Nasr could not make the numerical advantage count.
That had as much to do with their ineffective attack as it did Wahda’s decision to withdraw. Nilmar, the summer signing from Brazil’s Internacional, again had an off night, stretching his barren spell in the league to five matches.
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He is yet to break his duck in this competition, and he did not offer much hope of ending that streak anytime soon. The Brazilian’s only opportunity arrived in the 73rd minute, but he failed to connect with his header.
Nilmar was not the only one to struggle, though. As if to be expected, Wahda place much of their creative responsibility on Jorge Valdivia, but the Chilean spent most of the match getting kicked, or actively seeking to be.
Subsequently, he did little to spark Wahda’s attack. Luis Jimenez could have nicked it for Nasr right at the end, but both sides eventually cancelled each other out, an early indicator that talk of a title challenge for either could be premature.
Man of the match - Denilson (Al Wahda)
The former Arsenal midfielder has slowly begun to find his feet following his summer transfer from Brazil’s Santos, and he was again quietly impressive here.
Always tidy and tenacious in the centre of the pitch, the Brazilian did well to break up play and offered a sturdy protection to his back line.
What they said
Ivan Jovanovic, the Nasr coach: "The result is not good for us. Playing at home, you have to win the game. We had the advantage of an extra player, but we could not make the most of it. My team did not create many chances – when you cannot create chances, it is very difficult to score a goal."
Javier Aguirre, the Wahda manager: "Al Nasr were the leaders coming into this weekend, so it was a very important game. It is not easy as a new coach, so we will see in the future.
“It has been a really hard beginning, but in the last two games I’ve had good feelings. Like the Tour de France, we are in the middle of the climb.”
The National’s verdict
The match marked the beginning of a run that pits Nasr against five of the country’s most talented teams in their next seven fixtures, but they will need to display a sharper cutting edge if they are to mount a genuine run at the title.
Wahda did well considering they played two thirds of the game with one less man.
They are still clearly trying to adapt to Aguirre’s philosophy.
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