Two-goal hero Ahmed Khalil has declared Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club have only just got started after they defeated Al Dhafra 2-1 to lift the President’s Cup and end the amalgamated club’s two-year wait for a first trophy.
2015 AFC Player of the Year Khalil, 27, headed in the first-half opener on Monday evening at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium and then produced a delightful free-kick to double the advantage. Veteran Western Knights striker Saeed Al Kathiri responded to tee up a grandstand finish, but an equaliser couldn’t be found.
“As an ambitious striker, it was great to register and thank God for the success and scoring of two goals,” he told Al Bayan.
“This achievement is not strange to our club, historically we owned many titles. We look forward to continuing the effort in the coming period.
“We did not easily beat Al Dhafra, who also aspired to the title.
“They had the ambition to win their first title in a difficult final game of course, but we managed to control it and ultimately achieve our goal and win the title.”
May 2017’s merger of Al Shabab, Al Ahli and Dubai CSC created the current outfit.
Under Argentine boss Rodolfo Arruabarrena, they also sit a distant second in the Arabian Gulf League behind unbeaten leaders Sharjah.
