Al Nasr move up after Al Ahli win

Al Nasr made a striking start to Group C of the Etisalat Cup after seeing off a depleted Al Ahli side at the Maktoum Stadium.

Mehrzed Madanchi of Al Nasr, in blue, and Edris Fawzi of Al Ahli, no 4 in red, in action during the football match at Al Nasr football ground in Dubai.

Al Nasr made a striking start to Group C of the Etisalat Cup as they saw off a depleted Al Ahli side at the Maktoum Stadium. The host dominated possession in the first half and made their superiority count when Mehrzed Madanchi headed into an open goal after Mohamed Omer had crashed a volley against the woodwork. The second followed shortly after on 39 minutes, the result of a comedy of errors in the Ahli defence. Abdulla Ahmed misjudged a looping ball while under pressure from Omer and could only misdirect a header back towards goal. Edris Fawzi attempted to clear yet snatched at the ball to leave Enayati as the grateful recipient as he dispatched an easy finish past Abas. However, the visitors did have chances in an open first 45 minutes, with Gaor Foni the main culprit as he wasted with a succession of chances before Nasr's opener. The second half was largely uneventful as the home side were content to pack their defence and hit Ahli on the break. The best chance of the half again fell to Foni, yet the tall striker was slow to react to a bouncing ball inside the area and the goalkeeper smothered well to help Nasr gain victory. *The National