Round 19 in the Arabian Gulf League featured standout performances across the competition.

Here are the stars who shone brightest:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain)

Amoory’s curious season took a turn for the better with an exhibition of set-piece mastery. Yet more doubts surrounded UAE football’s crown prince after his midweek hooking by seething national coach Alberto Zaccheroni. These were emphatically answered in the 3-2 win at Al Jazira. A penalty was calmly dispatched minutes after Caio’s miss, while the free-kick that left UAE No1 Ali Khaseif rooted exhibited his pure technical acumen.

GOAL OF THE WEEK

Walid Abbas (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club)

There is still life in the old warhorse. Abbas defied his younger colleagues and competitors, storming into the penalty box from left-back in the 89th minute of a tense meeting at Dibba Al Fujairah. His turn of speed and slight of feet granted him space to lash a first top-flight goal of the season into the bottom corner. This late winner capped of a fine few days. The 60-cap veteran is back in the UAE squad after he was snubbed for the Gulf Cup.

COACH OF THE WEEK

Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)

The future of UAE coaching is in safe hands. Al Anbari followed the midweek signing of a two-year contract extension with a narrow 1-0 win against promoted Ajman, earned courtesy of Whites squad member Al Hasan Saleh’s effort. This result further ensconced the King in mid-table, exactly the job the club stalwart was hired to do. They had no victories when the perennial caretaker got a permanent shot in October. That figure now stands at seven.

CHEETAHS LOSING THEIR STRIPES ISN’T ARRUABARRENA’S FAULT

It’s been a chastening few months for Al Wasl. Reality has bitten the Cheetahs hard. A side set for an improvement on last term’s surprise runners-up spot before the winter break made it five league games without a win, thanks to Saturday’s painful 2-1 loss at struggling Al Dhafra. At moments like these, coaches come in the cross hairs. Yet Rodolfo Arruabarrena is only guilty of inflating expectations. Wasl’s squad is perilously thin and they were beaten to summer targets by the likes of Sharjah. It’s a miracle he got them this far.