SHARJAH KEEP SURVIVAL HOPES ALIVE
Muhain Khalifa gives hosts 1-1 draw with Al Wahda; Dhafra set new record
ShArJAh — Sharjah kept their survival hopes alive with a come from behind 1-1 draw with Abu Dhabi giants in the penultimate round of the Arabian Gulf League at the Sharjah Stadium on Friday.
Sebastian Tagliabue, the most prolific striker in the league, put the visitors ahead, but the home team hit back with Muhain Khalifa scoring a magnificent goal to earn what was a very crucial point for his team.The 1-1 draw has now put Sharjah in the 11th place with 27 points.
Al Wahda remain in third place by with 40 points.
The away fans at the stadium were not surprised when the league’s top scorer Tagliabue gave their team the lead in the 31st minute. It was the 24th goal of what has been an incredible season for the Argentinian striker.
Chile’s World Cup star Jorge Valdivia controlled a long ball from hamdan Alkamali and cut back a clever assist to the unmarked Argentine in the box.
The one-goal lead was maintained by Al Wahda at the interval, but just a few minutes into the second half, a fired-up Sharjah saw a penalty claim turned down after Maicosuel was bundled over in the box by Sultan Alghafri, and the hosts soon made an attacking change to bring on the pace of Yousif Saeed in place of Walid Ahmed to try and add some more firepower going forward.
Just a minute after the substitution, Sharjah were level as Muhain Khalifa made it 1-1 right on the hour mark with a magnificent longdistance strike, and it was the hosts who had the next clear chance to seize the lead as Al Wahda goalkeeper Adel Alhosani brought down Wanderley Santos just outside the area to trigger a free kick in a dangerous position.
The shot-stopper needed lengthy treatment and an immediate substitution for his brother Ali Alhosani after picking up an injury in the clash, but Maicosuel’s sneaky low set piece crept narrowly wide of the near post. In the 82nd minute Maicosuel came even closer to a goal as his looping effort bounced off the top of the crossbar, and up at the other end the visitors were awarded a threatening free kick on the edge of the area in the first minute of stoppage time, but goalkeeper Mohamed Yousif confidently punched away Valdivia’s set piece as Sharjah earned an invaluable point in the battle against relegation.
Meanwhile, Al Dhafra set a new club record by extending their Arabian Gulf League unbeaten run to eight games with a 0-0 draw at home to Al Shabab in round 25.
The result at the hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium gives the Western Knights a tally of 34 points to move up to 7th with one round remaining, whilst Al Shabab stay 6th on 37.
A goalless first half saw a number of missed chances by the hosts, as Makhete Diop went close and Omar Khrbin headed over the crossbar from a great position. E
arly into the second half, Khrbin once again wasted a golden opportunity to get ahead as he fired a strike over the crossbar from close range after a quick give-and-go with Makhete Diop, whilst Al Shabab saw a late penalty claim waved away after Manei Mohamed felt his attempted cross had been handled in the area by hamad Alhammadi, but in the end there was to be no break in the deadlock as the two sides settled for a 0-0 stalemate.