Al Ahli make it five from five with Dibba win

Matt Jones - Editor 20:16 31/10/2015
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  • Lima (c) continued his excellent start to his Al Ahli career.

    Al Ahli’s 100 per cent start continued with a 2-1 victory over Dibba Al Fujairah which sent them three points behind Arabian Gulf League leaders Al Ain.

    Cosmin Olaroiu’s men won their fifth straight game to go second in the table on Saturday and keep the heat on the champions, who have played twice more.

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    The Boss had all but extinguished Al Jazira’s title hopes with a 2-0 win in Al Clasico on Friday night, but a rejuvenated Ahli should provide a sterner test for the Garden City club, who are looking to retain a trophy they have won three times in the last four seasons. The only team to break their recent dominance has been the Red Knights, who are week by week consigning to memory the horror show that was their 2014-15 season, when they followed their title win with a dismal seventh place – 22 points adrift of the champions.

    A major contributing factor to Ahli’s turnaround has been the acquisition of Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lima.

    Last season Luis Jiminez was their top scorer in the league with a paltry six AGL strikes.

    Lima’s 20th minute opener was already his sixth in five games and incredibly his 14th in all competitions following a summer move from Portuguese giants Benfica.

    He wasted a good chance to open the scoring, thwarted first by Dibba stopper Humaid Abdulla after collecting Everton Ribeiro’s incisive throughball, while his follow-up was deflected over.

    Two minutes later he made no mistake, receiving Abdulaziz Sanqour’s ball with his back to goal and turning his marker brilliantly, curling under Abdulla’s grasp with his weaker left foot.

    Dibba served notice of their intent when Ivory Coast international Bakary Kone saw his deflected effort loop onto the crossbar.

    Lima almost had his second on the stroke of half-time, sliding in to get a touch to Ahmed Khalil’s centre which had just a little too much on it. The duo were involved in the hosts’ second goal just before the hour, although it had a hint of luck to it.

    Lima’s effort was blocked by a defender and fell kindly to the UAE international who drilled in an effort via the unlucky Abdulla.

    The Red Knights threatened to run riot, Ribeiro’s cheeky lob fell just wide while Moussa Sow’s venomous volley was blocked, but the atmosphere dipped when Dibba went up the other end, Kone unleashing a 25-yard rocket that nestled in Ahmed Mahmoud’s bottom right corner.

    The hosts saw out the remaining 17 minutes without much concern, indeed the margin of victory could have been wider were it not for the heroics of Abdulla, who brilliantly denied substitute Ismail Al Hamadi at the death.

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