Round 16 of the Arabian Gulf League delivered an imposing performance for leaders Al Ain, saw relegation-fodder Al Dhafra gain hope and more misery be inflicted on Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club.
Here, we examine the standout performers:
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Otabek Shukurov (Sharjah)
Uzbekistan royalty has been procured by the King.
Shukurov, 22, helped corral a Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club midfield that contained UAE internationals Habib Fardan and Khamis Esmail, before showing superb energy deep into injury time to drive into the box and earn the match-winning penalty.
Sharjah’s work in the market has had more hits than misses in recent years. Their January buy looks to be in the former category.
GOAL OF THE WEEK
Hassan Mohammed (Al Wasl)
Vital points appeared set to drain down the gutter as the Cheetahs went about chasing down Al Jazira’s 1-0 half-time lead.
Their cause appeared utterly forlorn as suspended 12-goal striker Caio Canedo watched on from the stands at Zabeel Satdium.
Mohammed had looked every inch the stand-in, that is until a moment of inspiration came in the 85th minute. He athletically sprung into the air and directed a perfect header into the far corner, for his first league goal this term.
Al Wasl goal scorer Hassan Mohammed (r).
COACH OF THE WEEK
Gjoko Hadzievski (Al Dhafra)
For the first time since September 21’s second round of top-flight fixtures, the Western Knights have the sweet feeling of success.
This was a clutch match for Hadzievski, defeat to fellow strugglers Dibba Al Fujairah not worth countenancing.
Instead, goals from UAE reserve striker Saeed Al Kathiri – via a poor defensive header – and Uzbekistan forward Igor Sergeev provided hope.
This win also saw them escape the foot of the table.
Al Dhafra coach Gjoko Hadzievski (c) (Al Dhafra).
TALKING POINT
Who knows where the Shabab Al Ahli experiment is headed?
Teething problems for Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club continue to bite, more than eight months since May’s tumultuous merger.
A team packed full of UAE internationals are 18 points off the pace, disillusionment in the stands against Sharjah saw a banner unfurled asking for clarity from club management and rumours swirl about a return to the separate entities.
This confusion is not helping anyone at Rashid Stadium.
