Al Ahli survived their first test without suspended coach Cosmin Olaroiu as they strengthened their position at the top of the league with victory over closest rivals Al Shabab in Friday night’s Dubai derby.
Olaroiu was in the stands, serving his six-month touchline ban for violating the terms of his contract with former club Al Ain, and assistant coach Catalin Raducan took over the reins in the dugout, although the Romanian spent most of the match yelling and instructing his players from his seat.
Shabab’s Edgar Bruno gifted the hosts a first half goal by mistakenly scoring past his own goalkeeper, while Luis Jimenez added a second for Ahli after the break to move the Red Knights four points clear of their city rivals.
Ahli were explosive from the start, thanks to a sell-out crowd that rocked a buoyant Rashid Stadium.
Ciel sent in a warning from the very first touch, driving down the right and sending in a threatening cross. A minute later, Grafite blasted a long-range missile that was too close to comfort for the travelling supporters.
Shabab forward Adeilson then responded with his own long range effort which whistled past the roof of the net, leaving Ahli ‘keeper Saif Yousif sighing with relief.
The visitors could have gone in front in the 11th minute through Uzbek international midfielder Haydarov Azizbek, who latched onto a deflected shot off the Ahli defence, but his close-range effort was blocked by Yousif.
A minute later, it was the hosts who edged ahead. A deep free kick from Hugo Viana found Walid Abbas down the right and the former Shabab defender sent in a cross only for Edgar Bruno to flick past his own ‘keeper just ahead of Grafite.
Shabab almost equalised when Adeilson took advantage of a poor back pass from Basheer Saeed which was intended for his advancing ‘keeper.
With the goal empty, the Brazilian forward opted to pass the ball to Bruno, whose effort was miraculously saved by the acrobatic Yousif, who recovered catch the ball just in time.
The drama increased on the half-hour mark when Mahmood Qassim blocked a shot from Ismail Al Hammadi with his hand inside the box but Grafite missed the resulting penalty as his strike hit the woodwork.
Grafite then tried to make up for his missed effort, forcing a strong save from Shabab ‘keeper Ismail Juma with a powerful shot from the left.
The second half saw an inspired Shabab side immediately threaten the Ahli goal. The visitors had a goal denied by the referee when Bruno kneed in a ball from the hands of Yousif, who was standing inside his goal but with his hands stretched over the goal-line.
Azizbek tried to level the match with a magnificent free kick in the 60th minute but it brushed barely an inch wide of the post.
Against the run of play, Ahli doubled their lead four minutes later. Ciel chipped a pass into Jimenez in, and the Chilean controlled for a comfortable close-range finish.
Bruno continued to pressure the Ahli defence but his tame header landed in the hands of Yousif before Ciel quickly responded at the other end with a solo effort that found the side netting.
Shabab were dealt another blow in the final seconds of the match when Bruno received a second yellow for punching the ball with his hands, capping off a disastrous night for the Brazilian striker.
