Two first-half goals handed Al Jazira a comfortable 2-0 win over Hatta at Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium in matchweek 7 of the Arabian Gulf League on Thursday.
Midway through the first half, Hatta's Abdullah Kazim forced Al Jazira keeper Ali Khasif into a good save, while Hatta keeper Saeed Al Mesmari denied Abdulla Ramadan from opening the scoring.
It wasn't until the 29th minute when Al Jazira broke the deadlock. Following a cross from the right side, Imoh Ezekiel headed the ball down into Ali Mabkhout’s path and the latter fired a powerful effort past Al Mesmari.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi doubled their lead 10 minutes later as Milos Kosanovic fired a freekick at the upper corner of the net to double his side's advantage before halftime.
Al Jazira came agonizingly close to sealing the victory with a third goal only six minutes before full time, when Ramadan’s left-footed effort hit the woodwork.
The win put Al Jazira temporarily in second place with 14 points, while Hatta remain at the bottom of the standings with one point only.