Khalil breaks Sharjah resistance

He took just two minutes to make his presence felt when he came on as a late substitute for Al Ahli last night and scored the winner with just 10 minutes to go.

Dubai // Ahmed Khalil took just two minutes to make his presence felt when he came on as a late substitute for Al Ahli last night and scored the winner with just 10 minutes to go in their match against Sharjah.

Khalil curled a 25-yard free kick into the right hand corner of the net after he replaced his older brother, Faisal, to seal a 2-1 win in front of a 4,320 crowd at the Rashid Stadium.

The result moved Ahli up three places to fourth in the Pro League table on 14 points and left Sharjah in seventh, after having collected just one point from their last three games.

The first half was almost incident-free but Ahli put on a better show in the second period to bounce back from their 4-0 defeat by Al Nasr in their last league game.

Pinga, the Brazilian midfielder, scored from the penalty spot, his sixth league goal of the season, to give David O'Leary's side the lead.

Khamis Ahmed was penalised for bringing down Ahmed Khamis in the 65th minute, although television replays showed he had hardly touched the Ahli player.

But that lead lasted only five minutes as Sharjah were awarded a penalty at the other end and Marcelinho, the Brazilian forward, blasted home the spot kick to join Pinga on the six-goal mark.

Ammar Ali al Junaibi, the referee, pointed to the spot for a foul by Ali Hussain, the Ahli defender, on Mohammed Surour, a second-half substitute.

O'Leary then made a double substitution, introducing Ahmed Khalil for his brother and Ismail al Hammadi for Ali Hussain, giving Ahli new impetus after the game seemed to be heading for a draw.

Match-winner Ahmed Khalil had been left out of the starting line-up in favour of Aristide Bance, the Burkina Faso forward, who was returning from a three-match ban, but his partnership with Faisal Khalil proved fruitless as the Sharjah defence stood solid.

Ahli were also without the injured Fabio Cannavaro, the central defender. The former Italy captain and World Player of the Year watched the game from the stands.

Other games

Al Dhafra 3 Dubai 5

Dubai, the promoted club, picked up their first league points in eight games with a stunning 5-3 victory over Al Dhafra last night. Dubai took the lead in the sixth minute and the home side drew level after 24 minutes. But the visitors went into the break leading 3-1 at Al Dhafra Stadium. The two sides then traded two goals each in the second half with Dubai claiming victory. The win moved Dubai two points above bottom-placed Kalba and four behind Dhafra on seven points.

Baniyas 1 Al Nasr 0

Andre Senghor scored his 10th league goal of the season for Baniyas to clinch a 1-0 home win over Al Nasr. The victory took Baniyas to the top of the Pro League standings. The Senegalese forward struck in the seventh minute and has now scored in every game, including a brace in the President’s Cup opener, a 4-1 win over Al Khaleej, the First Division club, and another in a 2-1 victory over Nasr in their Etisalat Cup opener, taking his tally to 13 goals in 10 matches.

Kalba v Al Jazira

There are 16 points and 11 places separating top-of-the-table Al Jazira and Kalba, but Abel Braga, the Abu Dhabi club's coach, has cautioned his players. "It is not unusual for everyone to think that we have already won three points from them, but that's a big mistake," he said ahead of tonight's match. "These teams have ruined our chances in the past and they would do the same if we don't go all out and win." Kalba's only point so far came in a 2-2 draw with Al Ahli.
5pm, Abu Dhabi Sports 1

Al Wasl v Al Ain

Abdulhameed al Mishtiki, the Al Ain coach, is under pressure after his team picked up just three points from the last five games. Al Ain, who are used to challenging at the top of the table, have some catching up to do after slipping down to eighth position in the league, already eight points behind Al Jazira. They travel to Dubai tonight for a late clash with third-placed Al Wasl, who will want to bounce back after their loss to Al Jazira over the weekend.
8pm Abu Dhabi Sports 1