DUBAI // What a difference 10 days can make. Al Nasr were the toast of their fans with a Serena Williams-like 6-1 win over arch foes Al Wasl. Last night, they failed to score even once at Al Shabab.
How times change.
Ten days ago, a hapless Wasl were reduced to 10 men after only four minutes. Last night, Nasr lost a man as well – in the 68th minute – when Khamis Ahmed was given his marching orders following a tackle on Carlos Villanueva.
Perhaps the changing room was the best place for Ahmed to hide for he was the main culprit of the night as far as Nasr were concerned. Not just because of the red card, but for a wayward header back to his goalkeeper early in the game that allowed Edgar Bruno to put the hosts ahead in the 17th minute. It was a gift that Bruno simply could not turn down.
He was lurking around inside the Nasr penalty area, but Ahmed was clearly unaware and, as he ballooned a header towards his goalkeeper, Bruno seized the opportunity, sprinting to the ball before Yousif Abdullah could reach it and after that the Brazilian could have finished with his eyes closed.
Ahmed clutched his face and sank to his knees as he realised his mistake.
He must have felt a lot like Yasser Salem, the Wasl defender who was sent off 10 days ago. “There are some days in football when you are not good, and this was such a day,” said Ivan Jovanovic, the Nasr manager.
“I hope it is not permanent. Our target is to play good in all games, but today’s performance is not what we expect from this team.
“So we need a lot of work and we need to show much more concentration in the upcoming matches. The players need to understand this obligation and prepare in the same way for each game.”
Nasr did make a fluent start at the Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium. But the hosts were a totally different proposition than Wasl and gave the Nasr defence a terse examination before Bruno opened the scores in the 17th minute.
Bruno should have been on the scoreboard two minutes earlier, but he was denied by a harsh offside call after putting the ball into the back of the net. However, the tall Brazilian was bouncing around with joy after tapping the ball into the unmanned goal moments later.
Brett Holman, Nasr’s Australian midfielder, created a couple of opportunities in the final minutes of the half, but Eder Luis, brilliant in the win over Wasl, and Ibrahima Toure had a rather quiet opening 45 minutes.
The second half was always going to be a lot more difficult for Nasr. Shabab have one of the sturdiest defences in the league and in nine previous matches, they have lost just once after scoring the opening goal – to Al Jazira in the third match of the season.
Marcos Paqueta’s men also boast the best goal difference (12) in the Arabian Gulf League – they have 25 goals in nine matches (no team has scored more) and have only been breached in defence 13 times (only Al Ahli and Sharjah have conceded fewer). The next best goal difference is Ahli’s nine.
The pressure on Nasr was obvious and none of the players in blue jerseys were carrying a greater burden than Khamis Ahmed.
Eager to make amends, he picked up a booking early in the second half and in the 68th minute, he got his second yellow card and his marching orders for a tackle on Villanueva.
Shabab did not make much use of their numerical advantage in regulation time, but Rashid Hassan’s goal late on completed a comfortable win.
Paqueta was pleased with the performance of his team, who kept sole possession of second place in the AGL table.
“I would like to congratulate my players for the organisation on the pitch and the fight they showed in the game,” he said.
arizvi@thenational.ae
Report card
Al Shabab
Effective without being spectacular, Shabab showed why they are such a difficult side to face with a commanding performance. 7/10
Al Nasr
It is always difficult to meet expectations after a 6-1 win, but Nasr were far from their usual fluent self. 5/10
Man of the match
Manei Mohammed – The diminutive 24-year-old winger, who has making great strides over the past two seasons, added to his reputation with an impressive performance.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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