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UAE Pro League
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Al Wahda Close Gap on Leaders Al Ain after the End of ADONC Pro League Matchweek 18

Al Wahda pulled off their sixth consecutive win in ADNOC Pro League to close the gap on Leaders Al Ain, who dropped two crucial points in the title race after being held to a 1-1 draw by Al Orooba, while Al Jazira and Bani Yas moved up in the table after defeating Sharjah and Ajman respectively in matchweek 18.

 

 

Shabab Al Ahli - Al Wahda

 

 

Rampant Al Wahda closed the gap on leaders Al Ain to four points after defeating Shabab Al Ahli 3-1 at Rashid Stadium on Friday.

 


An early strike in each net marked the first ten minutes of a game that saw shared possession between the two sides, with the visitors enjoying the bulk of possession in the first half, while the hosts were the more dominant in the second half.

 

 


Argentinian forward Federico Cartabia left his scoring boots at home despite creating four goal-scoring chances, but none of them were converted by his teammates, while Al Wahda midfielder Mansor Al Harbi excelled defensively winning seven duels out of 11.

 

 


Shabab Al Ahli had more attempts throughout the game, but Al Wahda were at their clinical best, scoring their three goals from four efforts on target including both of their efforts on goal after the restart.

 

 

Al Jazira - Sharjah

 


Al Jazira managed a 1-0 win against Sharjah at Mohammed bin Zayed stadium on Friday to move into the top four with a game in hand.

 

 


Despite Bruno's goal, the Pride of Abu Dhabi's best players were goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Ameri and centre back Khalifa Al Hammadi, with the former keeping away six Sharjah efforts on target, and the latter marking out Sharjah’s attacking duo Ben Malango and Ousmane Camara, intercepting five passes and clearing as many balls.

 

 

Salem Rashid was a model of efficiency in terms of interceptions, as he succeeded in intercepting four out of five.

 

 

Al Ain - Al Orooba

 

 


Al Orooba came away from the Lion’s den with a precious point, after holding league leaders Al Ain to a 1-1 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Friday.

 

 


The hosts recorded their highest percentage of ball possession of the ADNOC Pro League season with 74% as well as their swinging in a club season record 62 crosses.

 

 


Al Orooba produced an exemplary counterattacking performance, getting their goal from their only shot on target, which was also one of just two effort they attempted all game.

 

 

At the other end, Al Ain were limited to one goal from 28 shots, seven of which were on target.

 

 

 

Al Orooba goalkeeper Hamdan Al Hosani delivered a brilliant display, denying six of Al Ain’s seven shots on target to secure a point for his side.

 

 


Argentinian midfielder Cristian Guanca had the lion's share of Al Ain's 22 dangerous chances, creating six goal-scoring chances, while his teammate Soufiane Rahimi made four.

 

 


Al Orooba became the first team in the current ADNOC Pro League season to complete an unbeaten double against Al Ain.

 

 

Al Dhafra - Khorfakkan

 

 

Two goals in each half helped Al Dhafra register a vital 4-1 win against Khorfakkan at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday.

 

 


The visitors dominated the game with 64% possession, but they were not able to translate it into real threats on the hosts' goalkeeper.

 

 


Despite Khorfakkan's superiority in terms of possession, they fired just three efforts on target out of 11, compared to eight for Al Dhafra out of 12.

 

 


The away side relied on crosses, swinging in 26, compared to nine for the home side.

 

 


Guilherme Vieira was his side's most productive player, unleashing half of his side's efforts on target, while the other four shots were distributed between three players.

 

 

The Brazilian forward also made four interceptions.

 

 

Al Nasr - Emirates

 

 

Al Nasr's Diaa Saba grabbed his first ADNOC Pro League hat-trick this season in a 4-0 win over Emirates at Al Maktoum Stadium on Saturday.

 

 


The hosts were dominant from the start and they were able to translate their possession into eight efforts on target, four of which rippled the net, while the away side had just three shots, but none of which found the net.

 

 


Saba was at his most dangerous with five efforts on goal, while Emirates' three efforts on target were launched by three players
Duo Sultan Al Suwaidi and Faris Khalil delivered textbook defensive displays, with the former making five interceptions and the latter producing four, but their efforts were not enough for their side to avoid a heavy defeat.

 

 

Ajman - Bani Yas

 

 


Goals from Isaac Thelin and Nicolas Gimenez handed Bani Yas a 2-0 away win over Ajman at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium on Saturday.

 

 

 

Despite the hosts' superiority in terms of possession, the visitors were more dangerous on the attacking front, firing four shots within the frame of the goal out of ten, while the home side team registered just four efforts on target out of 12.

 

 


Bani Yas goalkeeper Fahad Al Dhanhani kept a clean sheet for the second match in a row, after denying Ajman's four shots on target.

 

 

 

Al Wasl - Ittihad Kalba

 

 


Ittihad Kalba and Al Wasl exchanged blows in the second half in a 1-1 draw at Zabeel Stadium on Saturday.

 

 


The visitors enjoyed 53% of possession, compared to 47% for the hosts, with the away side launching 14 efforts and the home side firing nine.

 

 

Both teams managed to record just two shots on target each.

 

 


Ghanem Ahmed and Abdulsalam Mohammed managed to score their first goals in the ADNOC Pro League.

 

 


Al Wasl midfielder Hassan Ibrahim produced three successful interceptions out of six attempted, while Ittihad Kalba's Fahad Sabeel produced seven clearances.

 

 

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