RESULT: Sharjah 2 (Bader 30’, Marcelinho 48’) Emirates Club 1 (Hadef 20’)

Brazilian Marcelinho scored the winner as Sharjah came back to beat Emirates Club 2-1 in their last play-off encounter in Dubai last night, but the win was not enough to guarantee a spot in the forthcoming Pro League.

In the other play-off clash, Al Shaab’s victory over Al Dhafra meant both teams claimed the two spots in the 14-team competition.

In a match that featured two of last season’s relegated Pro League sides, the game was equally significant for being a contest that pitted the Benzarti brothers Lutfi and Faouzi against each other as the coaches of Sharjah and Emirates respectively.

Emirates started the more positive, and after skipper Hadef Saif saw yellow for a dangerous first minute jab on Salem Khamis, his team-mate Hassan Maatouk struck the post from a free-kick.

In the ninth minute, Esam Darwish’s cracking effort from inside the area for Sharjah was parried by Emirates goalkeeper Motaz Abdullah.

As Sharjah began to threaten, the Emirates gloveman pulled off another good save from point blank range to deny Marcelinho from scoring with his head.

Marcelinho came close again on 18 when his left-footed effort, after a fine run down the middle, rolled wide of the Emirates right post.

Despite Sharjah calling all the shots, it was Emirates who broke the deadlock. Their moment of glory arrived in the 20th minute when Hadef poked in from German Herrera’s shot into the middle.

After Emirates squandered a few clear-cut chances, it was Sharjah’s turn to celebrate and Faouzi’s men yanked themselves back into contention through Bader Abdulrahman, whose free-kick from 25 yards bounced in casually past ‘keeper Motaz after striking the wall.

Sharjah led for the first time three minutes after the break when Marcelinho headed onto the underside of the cross-bar and in from an early corner.

Sharjah were now back in contention for a spot in the top flight, but their fate was still not in their hands as Shaab continued to lead Al Dhafra in Al Ain.

However, even a win proved inadequate in the end as Shaab’s win earned them a return to the Pro League after three seasons of Division One football.

 

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