Sharjah claimed a confident 2-0 victory over ten-man Al Dhafra in the ADNOC Pro League, powered by moments of individual quality from Igor Coronado and Rei Manaj.
The visitors’ hopes took a major hit in the 33rd minute when Abdulla Alkarbi was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Majed Hassan Ahmed, leaving Al Dhafra a man down for nearly an hour.
From there, Sharjah controlled the tempo and territory, dictating play with patience and precision.
Their dominance was rewarded shortly before the break through a stunning piece of technique from Coronado.
The Brazilian midfielder stepped up over a free-kick and curled a sensational effort over the wall into the top corner, a strike of elegance and timing that broke the deadlock at a crucial juncture.
Barely moments later, Sharjah doubled their advantage thanks to Rei Manaj’s sharp movement and clinical finish.
Latching onto Coronado’s perfectly weighted through ball, the Albanian forward drove into the box and rifled a low shot inside the near post, beating the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
Manaj came agonisingly close to adding a third just a minute after the restart when his strike from inside the box thundered off the crossbar, leaving the home crowd gasping.
Sharjah continued to dominate proceedings, with Vladimir Prijovic forcing a fine save from Amjad Alsayed in the 55th minute as the hosts pushed relentlessly for a third goal.
In the end, Sharjah’s control and efficiency saw them comfortably seal all three points at home.
The result lifts them to tenth in the table with seven points, while Al Dhafra drop to seventh on nine, their evening undone by a costly red card and Sharjah’s superior quality in the final third.
Send feedback
