Sport360°’s Martyn Thomas looks back on the weekend that was in the UAE Pro League as Al Ain close in on title number 11, UAE star continues recent goalscoring form and the pressure eases on Walter Zenga.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Friday he was at the heart of everything good the Cheetahs did going forward, crossing for Khalifa Abdulla to notch the side’s first eqaliser against Al Jazira, before he tapped home after a neat give and go with Jussie to level the score again at 2-2. Emana also started the move that led to Emiliano Alfaro’s winning penalty.
The link-up play between Emana, Alfaro and Jussie was too good for a makeshift Jazira defence to deal with and gave lie to their lowly league position.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Al Nasr beating Bani Yas
Prior to his side’s 2-1 defeat of Bani Yas, Blue Wave coach Walter Zenga was forced to defend his reign of the club. 90 minutes later and Nasr’s fight for an AFC Champions League spot has been reinvigorated, while Takayuki Morimoto is looking more and more like a fine acquisition.
TALKING POINTS
1. Cheetahs bare teeth under Baroot
A casual observer who stumbled across the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium would be forgiven for thinking it was the visitors and not Jazira who are currently fighting for a place in next year’s AFC Champions League.
Interim coach Eid Baroot set his side up to exploit the spaces afforded by the home side excellently, with the front four all lively and Khalifa Abdulla putting in a fine shift in midfield before injury forced him off.
The Emirati refused to discuss his long-term future after the game but his desire not to get carried away by only his second win in charge is admirable. He clearly has bigger ambitions for the Dubai club.
2. Al Ain’s latest teen sensation
The Boss were missing both Asamoah Gyan and Omar Abdulrahman for the visit of Al Shabab, but while they fell behind they were rescued by a youngster with a big future.
Second-half substitute Yousef Ahmad was the hero for Al Ain as his goal nine minutes from time gave them a 2-1 win. It was the 18-year-old’s second goal in only his second Pro League appearance and he now has five in five in league and cup.
Add another 11 in 12 Reserve League matches and the Garden City may just have unearthed another hero.
3. Grafite who?
The Brazilian was back in the stands for Al Ahli’s 2-0 win over Al Shaab but it didn’t matter as Ahmed Khalil continued his recent redemption.
The UAE striker has now scored five goals in his last six games for club and country and after a sluggish start to the season is looking like returning to something near his dynamic best.
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