Aguirre happy his substitutions against Jazira keep plucky Al Wahda ‘fighting for the top-four spot’

Sultan Saif turned came off the bench to score in added time to turn hero in a 2-1 victory in the capital derby while leaders Al Ain suffer a setback in the title race.

Jorge Valdivia, second from right, was the driving force behind Al Wahda in the win against Al Jazira. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

Al Wahda 2 (Valdivia 15, Saif 90+2)

Al Jazira 1 (Mabkhout 34)

Story of the match

ABU DHABI // Sultan Saif turned came off the bench to score in added time to turn hero in a 2-1 victory for Al Wahda over Al Jazira in the capital's derby.

Saif was quick to pounce on a rebound and knock it over from close range after the Jazira defender Abdulla Mousa blocked a low shot from Sultan Al Ghafri last night at the Al Nahyan stadium.

Earlier, Jorge Valdivia had put Wahda ahead and Ali Mabkhout struck at the other end for the visitors to draw level.

The result lifted Wahda to fifth and only a point behind Al Wasl in the table while Jazira with their first defeat under their new manager Henk ten Cate were left rooted 11th.

Valdivia completed a spectacular move orchestrated by Hamdan Al Kamali in the 15th minute. The Wahda centre-back sent a long looping ball from his own area for Sebastian Tagliabue to collect the bouncing ball, take play inside the Jazira box before slipping it pass a defender towards the unmarked Chile midfielder to shoot it to back of the net.

Mabkhout netted the equaliser when he knocked in a corner from Sultan Al Shamsi just past the half-hour mark.

Jazira nearly took the lead when a corner from Al Shamsi fell on Adel Al Hosani’s feet and the goalkeeper picked up the ball inches from it crossing the line, it seemed, on slow motion television replays.

Man of the match

Valdivia, Al Wahda: It is hard to keep him out of the spotlight. The Chile international raised the team's spirit early and created quite a few chances with his familiar silky passes.

What they said

Javier Aguirre, Wahda coach: "We created a lot of scoring chances but even though we didn't have the luck to score more we did manage to get one in the added time. We will keep fighting for the top four-spot.

“In the first half, we left a lot of space in the centre but we made a couple of substitutions to control that area in the second half. That’s the reason we enjoyed a better second half.

When asked about Sultan Saif and Mohammed Al Akbari returning to the side after playing in the U23 AFC Asia Cup, he said: “They are two players with high potential and played their role in the team’s win. Saif had the presence of mind to score under a pressure situation. They will get better with time.”

Henk ten Cate, Jazira coach: "We were unlucky which we didn't deserve. I heard from those who watched the game on television that the corner from Sultan Al Shamsi had actually crossed the goalline. I don't understand why the referee standing behind didn't award the goal to us."

“Wahda were stronger in the second half. They created a few chances more than us but on the contrary we too created a few from the counter attacks. And we scored. But the referee didn’t give it. So this is real bad luck.”

The National’s verdict

Wahda bounced back and remain strong contenders for a top-four finish. They have been a bit inconsistent but so are the others in the top half of the table, barring the top two – Al Ain and Al Ahli.

AL AIN SET BACK

Sharjah sprung a spectacular surprise in Round 16 of the Arabian Gulf League, beating table-toppers Al Ain 3-2 at the Sharjah Stadium.

A double from Wanderley Santos and a Maicosuel winner secured all three points for struggling Sharjah, who now jump into 10th place with 18 points, while Al Ain stay top after suffering only their second League loss of the season, but Al Ahli could catch them to go level on 40 points with a win at Al Dhafra on Saturday.

Meanwhile, it was a day of shock for Al Shabab too. The inconsistent but mid-table Dubai team were handed a 2-0 defeat by the impressive Dibba who moved up the table to eighth with goals from Tariq Ahmed and Boris Kabi.

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