A little more than 95 minutes of the Abu Dhabi derby encapsulated everything amazing and agonising about the beautiful game as Al Jazira beat Al Wahda 3-2 in a breath-taking encounter on Friday night.
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Yaser Matar’s stunning 25-yard drive five minutes into stoppage time snatched a barely deserved win for the home side, one that seemed to have been taken away when two late Wahda goals looked to have given them an unlikely point.
Despite offering so much fresh promise, the same old Al Jazira failings saw them let a 2-0 lead slip after first half Mirko Vucinic and Ali Mabkhout goals had put them in firm control.
Inside 16 crazy final minutes, Ali Khaseif’s error gave Sebastian Tagliabue and the Clarets a lifeline before Jefferson Farfan’s push on substitute Mohamed Al Akbari allowed the Argentine striker to double his tally and stun the Mohammed bin Zayed crowd with his 90th minute spot kick.
It looked like two points dropped for the hosts before veteran Matar let fly to give Wahda stopper Ahmed Al Hosani no chance whatsoever.
Jazira coach Abel Braga knew his side got lucky.
“I’m not happy with the way we played in the second half, the players were thinking they had already won the game and this attitude must change,” he said. “We started well and played a good first half. I can’t say much about the second half. We were fortunate to win at the end.”
The match-winner himself was modest about his dramatic intervention, saying: “The best thing is the three points. I play for the team not myself. I give the goal to the team.”
Just six kilometres separate the two sides in the UAE capital but for 74 minutes last night there was a chasm between them.
Jazira had put the pride back in Pride of Abu Dhabi with an encouraging display – sharper, hungrier and more organised, areas they were found wanting in last season. Although impressive in attack, their lead was actually built on an uncharacteristically solid defensive effort for the first hour.
After a slightly tepid opening, last season’s AGL top-scorer Vucinic opened the scoring after 11 minutes, steering a header from Abdulla Moussa’s centre beautifully across Ahmed Al Hosani and inside the far post.
A stunning ball over the top from Thiago Neves after 25 minutes found Mabkhout who cleverly beat the offside trap and kept a cool head to volley Jazira 2-0 ahead.
Braga’s summer signing of his fellow Brazilian Neves from Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal is already proving to be an astute bit of business. Neves was the fulcrum of Jazira’s win, eye-catching in attack with his assist, but also typifying the hosts’ new-found steeliness as he tracked back and tackled to help his defence.
Although improved in the second half, it was only the 74th minute when the Clarets really threatened as an innocuous shot from Tagliabue was spilt by UAE international keeper Khaseif and the ball trickled embarrassingly over the line.
The goal gave the visitors heart. Tagliabue, Ismail Matar and Amer Omar all saw good chances go begging in a frantic finale.
A minute before the end, they were level after Peruvian forward Farfan’s sole error in an otherwise impressive performance saw Mohamed Abdulla Hassan Mohd point to the spot.
Tagliabue made no mistake with his penalty, but just as Wahda looked on course for an unlikely point, Matar’s moment of magic spared Jazira’s blushes.
