Al Jazira and Al Wasl were left deadlocked after a cagey 0-0 draw in the first leg of the ADIB Cup quarter-finals at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, leaving everything to play for on Sunday, November 30th decisive return fixture.
The match opened with early controversy. Matheus Saldanha appeared to give Al Wasl the perfect start inside two minutes, powering home a header from a superb right-wing delivery, only for the assistant’s flag to rule the effort out for offside.
Al Jazira responded with a chance of their own as Simon Banza rose above the defence to meet Jay Dee’s pinpoint cross, but his header drifted narrowly wide.
Midway through the first half, Al Wasl threatened again when Hugo Neto unleashed a fierce strike from a distance, forcing Stojan Lekovic into a brilliant, full-stretch save that underlined the Al Jazira goalkeeper’s sharp form.
Al Jazira were handed a golden opportunity to break the deadlock shortly before the hour mark after being awarded a penalty.
Banza stepped up with confidence, but Al Wasl goalkeeper Khaled Al Senaani reacted superbly, diving low to push the spot-kick away and keep the tie level.
Both sides pushed for a breakthrough in the closing stages, but clear chances remained scarce as the defences held firm.
The quarter-final now moves to Zabeel Stadium, where the second leg will take place on Sunday, 30 November, with the tie finely poised.
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