A second-half penalty from Fabio de Lima salvaged a 2-2 draw for Al Wasl against Al Jazira and maintained the Dubai club’s four-point cushion at the top of Group A in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
De Lima won and converted the penalty that would earn his side a point, taking Wasl a big step closer to the knockout stages of the competition with two games to go as Jazira saw out the match with 10 men.
The Brazilian was through on goal inside the Jazira area when he was pushed from behind by Salem Abdullah, earning the Emirati midfielder a second yellow card and an early bath on 75 minutes.
Caio Caneda had earlier put the visitors in front after eight minutes. The Brazilian broke the offside trap to take play inside the Jazira area before slamming a right-foot shot past goalkeeper Khalid Al Senani.
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Their lead lasted less than 60 seconds though as Khalfan Mubarak wove his way through the Wasl defence before expertly placing the ball into the far corner of the net.
Jazira then took the lead on 35 minutes as yet another Brazilian, this time Thiago Neves, put his side ahead with a curling free-kick.
Wasl pushed hard for the equaliser in the second half and were rewarded at the end.
Wasl could have ended up with more than their solitary point had they been more clinical in front of goal in the second half.
Wasl took their tally to 10 points from four games to lead Sharjah and Al Dhafra on six each behind them, while the result leaves Jazira on five points from their three games.
The game was played at a neutral ground, the Baniyas Stadium, while the UAE national team prepare to take on Thailand at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Jazira’s home ground, in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Thursday night.
In the early games Baniyas picked up their first point in three Group B matches by holding Al Ahli to a scoreless draw at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai.
The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock was Saeed Ahmed’s effort that cannoned off the crossbar for Ahli on the stroke of full time.
Majed Rashed’s 40th-minute strike was enough for Dibba to return with all three points from their trip to Kalba.
The win moved Dibba up to third in Group B on six points, three behind leaders Al Shabab and one point behind Ahli.
The top two sides from each seven-team group progress to the semi-finals.
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