Round six of the 2018/19 Arabian Gulf League delivered several stellar displays, at both ends of the table.
Here are Sport360’°s top picks:
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – MOHAMED BENYETTOU (FUJAIRAH)
(Twitter/@Fuj_FC).
The Algerian forward scored six times in 22 Saudi Professional League matches for Al Shabab Riyadh last season.
Across the border at Fujairah, his late double clinched a memorable 3-2 win against fellow new boys Ittihad Kalba and moved him onto six goals in six Arabian Gulf League matches. This ratio will give the Wolves every chance of staying up.
GOAL OF THE WEEK – MOHAMED AL AKBARI (AL NASR)
(Twitter/@ALNasrSC).
Beyond the partisan scenes of the Bur Dubai derby, a human story shone through.
Al Nasr forward Al Akbari headed in a scrappy second during a 3-1 derby win at Al Wasl one day after his brother, Ahmed, had been put into intensive care after a road accident.
Just being there to do it was a laudable act of commitment.
COACH OF THE WEEK – VUK RASOVIC (AL DHAFRA)
(Twitter/@aldhafraclub_ae).
This has been some turnaround from the Serbian.
An outstanding 4-2 win at Al Wahda – last term’s runners up – secured victories either side of the international break.
The Western Knights had previously been pointless. It’s taken more time than expected, but the bedding in of buys such as Diego and Suhail Al Mansoori is under way.
TALKING POINTS – WASL REAP WHAT THEY SOW
A predictable disaster reached its crescendo this weekend at Al Wasl.
Torn asunder by Al Nasr, coach Gustavo Quinteros could not continue. And yet, the issue is why was he in the dugout?
May’s decision not to renew with Rodolfo Arruabarrena still staggers. He’d secured successive top-three finishes on a relatively tiny budget.
The mayhem that followed is just reward. Painfully, Arruabarrena’s Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club await on Wednesday.
