Goals galore at Al Wasl

Al Wasl and Al Sharjah serve up an eight-goal thriller in the Etisalat Pro League.

Al Sharjah threw away a two-goal lead at Al Wasl before then having to come from behind to take a point in a thrilling Pro League encounter that ended 4-4 at the Zabeel Stadium. Things got off to the worst possible start for the Cheetahs, with Mohammed Jamal bringing down Anderson in the area. The former Wasl man duly converted to quieten the boisterous, predominantly yellow-clad crowd and give Sharjah the lead. The Wasl fans were soon singing again though, as Srecko Juricic's men equalised in the 26th minute through Saoud Saeed. The diminutive Emirati received a cutback in the area and slotted past the helpless Mahmoud Almas. Sharjah looked rocked for a spell, but it didn't last long as Saoud Al Dokhi gave his side the lead again, drilling home after good work from Anderson. The visitors were buoyed and went looking to settle it, which they appeared to have accomplished when Roberto Lopez found himself with time on the edge of the area. The Brazilian smashed the ball low and hard inside Majed Nasser's left upright to put Sharjah 3-1 up. Wasl refused to give up and Saeed scored what was almost a duplicate of his first goal, evading his marker inside the area and again coolly slotting past Almas. While the fans cheered, Saeed collected the ball from the back of the net - Wasl's intentions were clear; there was still all to play for. That must surely have been coach Juricic's words of encouragement as Wasl came out for the second half a new team. With fast attacking play, it didn't take long for the equaliser to come, Saeed, again, pulling the strings from the midfield. The Emirati picked up the ball on the edge of his own area, drove forward before playing out wide to Rashid Eisa. He gave it back to Saeed who dinked a clever ball through for Oliviera and the Brazilian smashed the ball high into the net. Five minutes later the home side were ahead, with Rashid Eisa scoring a wonderful solo effort. Having left two men for dead on the edge of the area, the tricky midfielder picked his spot and placed it into the keeper's bottom right-hand corner. But the game never looked settled and when Majed Nasser was harshly adjudged to have fouled Sharjah's Juan Carlos, Anderson was left to level once again from the penalty spot for his eighth goal of the season. [e-mail]