Dominant first-half display earns Al Nasr victory

Sport360 staff 23:58 30/09/2016
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  • Muscled out: Al Ain’s Douglas (l).

    An Ahmed Khamis brace sandwiched Abdelaziz Barrada’s goal to give the Blue Wave a maximum six points from their first two games, which put them joint top alongside Al Ahli and Al Shabab in Group B.

    The visitors survived an early scare when veteran Ibrahim Diaky hit the post to go ahead in the 23rd minute. A low cross from the right by captain Ahmed Al Yassi was cleverly back-heeled in by Khamis to silence Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. It was 2-0 a minute before the break when the classy Barrada chipped goalkeeper Dawoud Sulaiman after being fed by Khamis.

    Khamis got his second to put Nasr in a commanding position 16 minutes into the second half, tucking home after Sulaiman parried Jonathan Pitroipa’s volley. That appeared that but Zlatko Dalic’s men pulled a goal back two minutes later through Brazilian Douglas who nodded in Danilo Asprilla’s cross. The hosts had several penalty appeals waved away before Colombian trickster Asprilla found the net from a tight angle in injury time, but Ivan Jovanovic’s side hung on.

    Emirates Club, meanwhile, got their AG Cup campaign up and running with a 4-0 thrashing of promoted Hatta. They blew away the Tornado to secure their first points of any sort this season, while Hatta are rooted to the bottom of Group A with three straight defeats.

    The Falcons took the lead in the 29th minute when Argentine Sebastian Saez turned home a lofted free-kick. Saez turned provider on the hour when Hatta stopper Saif Al Badi parried his shot into Alhusain Saleh’s path.

    Saleh put the game to bed when he thrashed home at the back post and Khaled Khamis rounded off the scoring five minutes from time.

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