Football: No slip up as Al Jazira rout Dibba

Dubai - Al Wahda come away with a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Emirates

There seems to be no let up from Al Jazira and a second Arabian Gulf League title looks even more closer. Refreshed after a four-week international break, the 'Pride of Abu Dhabi' swamped Dibba in Round 22 on Wednesday night to add cushion at the top of the League.
The 3-0 at the Fujairah Stadium swelled their tally to 56 points, although the nine-point gap could be cut back to six again with defending champions Al Ahli set to play Al Wasl on Thursday night. The Red Knights are on 47 points, closely followed by The Cheetahs, who are on 44 points. Al Ain are fourth with 43 points.
Nonetheless, Henk ten Cate's men showed no signs of slipping up with goals from frontman Ali Ahmed Mabkhout, the League's top scorer with 27 strikes, Khalfan Mubarak and Leonardo, handing The Spiders their 18th win and eighth on the road. Dibba though, suffered their 10th defeat and are 11th with 18 points.
Elsewhere, at the Emirates Club Stadium, Al Wahda came away with a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Emirates. Al Wahda's 10th win gave them 37 points and The Clarets are placed fifth.
Al Jazira went in with the same attacking and hustling style of play, which has served them so well this season. Leonardo, a winter buy from South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, came dangerously close to giving Al Jazira the lead just minutes into the game but his foray was cut short by the Dibba defence.
Al Jazira were relentless though, conjuring a barrage of attacks in the opening 10 minutes. Al Jazira wasted an opportunity with no one near the ball after Salim Rashid had teed it up following a blistering run down the left.
Dibba were not to take things lying down and tried to break on the counter but they were unable to find a way past the Al Jazira backline.
Leonardo was in the thick of things again on the half hour when he let fly a crisp freekick but goalkeeper Fahd Mohamed managed to punch it away. Then, veteran defender Fares Juma came agonisingly close with a bicycle kick from close range, but an alert Fahd Mohamed showed quick reflexes to ward off the danger. Al Jazira did break the deadlock on 40 minutes with Ali Ahmed Mabkhout tucking in the penalty after the impressive and hard working Khalfan Mubarak was brought down by Hamdan Qasem.
And it was to be 2-0 with a minute left in the half as Khalfan Mubarak sent his left-footed freekick into the net, after he was fouled by Dibba captain Saeed Mohamed.
Leonardo toyed with the Dibba defence after the restart with his freekick from the left tipped over the cross bar by Fahd Mohamed. A little later, his curling corner just didn't have enough dip and nestled on the roof of the net.
The 30-year-old did get on the scoresheet by setting himself up nicely before slipping it past Fahd Mohamed, for his sixth goal of the competition.
james@khaleejtimes.com