Al Wasl successfully clinched the UAE ADNOC Pro League football shield this evening after defeating their guest, Shabab Al Ahli, with a decisive 3-0 victory. The goals were scored by Harris, Fabio De Lima, and Adama Diallo at the 49th and 58th minutes, and Adama Diallo again in the 7th minute of injury time. The match took place at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai as part of the 25th round of the league, securing Al Wasl’s first title since the professionalization of UAE football in the 2008-2009 season. Al Wasl reached 61 points at the top of the standings, widening the gap to 9 points between them and Shabab Al Ahli in second place, with two matches remaining for Al Wasl against Al Ain and Al Nasr, and for Shabab Al Ahli against Hatta.
Al Wasl equaled Shabab Al Ahli in the number of league titles, with each club holding 8 titles, trailing Al Ain by 6 titles, who tops the list of most league wins. The “Emperor” added their second title of the season, having won the UAE President’s Cup a few weeks ago, while the “Knights” stopped at two titles this season, being crowned champions of the Super Cup and the UAE-Qatar Super Shield.
The match was characterized by high excitement in the first half, with the first chance coming to Shabab Al Ahli in the 3rd minute. Igor Jesus had a shot in the Al Wasl penalty area that deflected off a defender and was easily caught by Al Wasl’s goalkeeper Khalid Al Senani. Ali Saleh sent a cross for Al Wasl in the 10th minute, but Shabab Al Ahli’s goalkeeper Hassan Hamza cleared it before it reached Harris. In the 13th minute, Salem Al Azizi sent another cross for Al Wasl, which Harris headed weakly past the right post.
Nicolas Gimenez received the ball, dribbled into the Shabab Al Ahli penalty area, and passed it to Harris, who oddly shot over the bar in the 15th minute. Harris missed another chance in the 18th minute after a pass from Fabio De Lima left him one-on-one with goalkeeper Hassan Hamza, but he shot into the side netting. Shabab Al Ahli took a corner in the 20th minute, and Igor’s powerful header was saved by Al Senani, hit the crossbar, and was turned into another corner.
Al Wasl dominated and pressed in the following minutes against a defensive Shabab Al Ahli. The “Emperor” couldn’t capitalize on several corners due to the strong defense and goalkeeping of the “Knights.” The first half ended goalless after four minutes of added time, with Igor’s weak header easily saved by Al Senani.
Al Wasl ignited the stands of Zabeel Stadium at the start of the second half when Ali Saleh delivered a beautiful through ball to Harris, who scored with a powerful shot in the 49th minute. Shabab Al Ahli quickly tried to respond, forcing Al Senani to save a direct corner in the 51st minute. Al Wasl made a forced substitution in the 56th minute, with Malik Janier exiting due to injury and Ali Salmeen coming on.
Fabio De Lima scored a rocket of a goal in the 58th minute to make it 2-0 for Al Wasl. Nicolas Gimenez almost added a third with a tricky header in the 65th minute, but Hassan Hamza and the crossbar denied him. Fabio’s shot narrowly missed the right post in the 70th minute. Substitute Bala missed a chance to reduce the deficit for Shabab Al Ahli in the 72nd minute, and Al Senani made a timely save in the 73rd minute to prevent Renan from scoring.
Shabab Al Ahli’s coach Marco Nikolic made several changes in the closing minutes to boost his team’s attack, gaining an advantage in possession but leaving them vulnerable to Al Wasl’s dangerous counterattacks. Yellow cards began to appear as some players became tense. Al Senani made two crucial saves in injury time, which the referee extended to nine minutes. Adama Diallo confirmed Al Wasl’s victory with a third goal in the 7th minute of injury time, ensuring the team’s deserved and hard-fought league title after a challenging season filled with tough encounters.
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