Mirko Vucinic at the double as Jazira comeback to beat Ajman

Barnaby Read 20:02 04/02/2015
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  • Hero: Al Jazira's Mirko Vucinic (r) helped his team defeat Ajman by scoring a brace.

    Al Jazira maintained their position at the Arabian Gulf League summit with a 3-1 win over Ajman, but not without a scare from the team sitting second-bottom.

    – Lethal Mirko Vucinic eyes long stay with Al Jazira

    Despite being a goal down at half-time, the league leaders rallied thanks to a Mirko Vucinic brace and Manuel Lanzini’s goal direct from a corner.

    Prior to kick-off, the potency of returning Asian Cup Golden Boot winner, Ali Mabkhout, and AGL top goalscorer, Vucinic, against the league’s second most leaky defence made the outcome seem inevitable.

    That did not look to be the case, as a mixture of complacency from the hosts and a perfectly executed gameplan from Ajman saw them take a first-half lead.

    Ajman skipper Boris Kabi first startled Jazira, striking the crossbar in the 36th minute.

    To say it was against the run of play is a substantial understatement.

     Jazira had dominated proceedings up until then with Mabkhout, Lanzini and Vucinic looking their sprightly best, intricately exchanging neat passes on the edge of the Ajman box.

    Their inability to convert was punished just eight minutes later as Brazilian Crivellaro lashed home his first goal for the club on his Ajman debut.

    Mohammed Al Antaly was quickest to react to Khaled Al Senani’s parry and the 25-year-old smartly pulled the ball back to the former Vitoria Guimareas player to fire beyond Senani.

    Things should’ve gone from bad to worse for Jazira on the stroke of half-time as Ahmad Khalfan turned down a penalty appeal from the visitors that rightfully angered coach Fathi Al Jabal.

    Saif Saeed’s clumsy intervention got nothing but Driss Fetouhi, but there was even less doing for Khalfan who shook his head in response to the Moroccan’s claims for a spot kick.

    A Vucinic-led rallying prior to the second-half seemed to have initially had the desired effect on Jazira.

    Just a minute into the second 45 Lanzini thought he had leveled only to see the flag up on the far side.

    Rather inevitably, Jazira leveled four minutes later thanks to Vucinic’s 17th league goal of the season.

    This time it was Ali Mesmari’s turn to rebound a long-range effort into an opposition striker’s path and the Montenegrin is not the man to turn down such gifts.

    And it was not long before Vucinic doubled his tally and handed Jazira the lead.

    Vucinic easily evaded his marker at the near post to meet Khamis Emsail’s stabbed cross, smartly beating Mesmari on the inside.

    It was all over for Ajman from there on and when Lanzini’s corner escaped Mesmari and flew into the far corner, the icing was well and truly placed on a cake that had earlier threatened to rise.

    Elsewhere in the early kick-offs, Al Wahda’s own veritable goal-machine Sebastian Tagliabue took just seven minutes to score the only goal of the game against bottom club Ittihad Kalba.

    The win temporarily moved Wahda into second and left the home side rooted to the bottom of the table with just four points.

    Fujairah jumped above their hosts Emirates Club with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Hassan Matouk’s double either side of Rodrigo Souza’s leveler.

    Remaining level on points with Fujairah, but ahead on goal difference, Al Dhafra were thankful for another man striker with a pair, Makhete Diop.

    The Senegal forward’s efforts proving too much for Al Wasl, despite Caio’s 70th minute strike that proved to be nothing but consolation for the travelling outfit. 

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