Jazira edge past Shaab

Mabkhout and Jones guide The Pride of Abu Dhabi to seventh place in AGL

sharjah - Ali Mabkhout scored a brace and Kenwyne Jones netted one as Al Jazira huffed and puffed their way for a 3-2 victory past relegated Al Shaab in the 23rd round of the Arabian Gulf League at the Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah on Thursday.

The result, however, didn't go down too well with coach Henk ten Kate who said at the post-match Press conference that 'it was a game he would like to forget as soon as possible'.

"It was the worst game of my spell with Jazira," the Dutchman said.

"The situation we are in - Jazira are currently placed seventh in the standings - it's not good to play a game like this as Shaab had nothing to lose. "We need to do better. Giving two goals was not good."

The coach conceded that he was happy with the result but not the way his players played. "Yes, I'm happy with the result but not with the team's performance. We have three important games left in the League. I want us to finish as high as possible in the League but we can't do it if we play this way," he said angrily.

Meanwhile, his counterpart Stefano Cusin took a lot of positives from the match.

"It was a great game. The boys played well until the penalty. They lost concentration after that and then the second goal came within minutes.

"But in the second half we were more aggressive. We controlled the game. I'm very proud of my players," the Italian said.

With nothing to lose Al Shaab gave it their all. Within the first six minutes Jose Eduardo could have brought some smiles on the few Shaab spectators that turned up when he darted down with three Jazira defenders close on his heels and just the goalkeeper Ali Khaseif at his mercy. The Brazilian needed to show a cool head here but instead shot with his left foot straight into Khaseif.

Jazira took time to settle down and could consider themselves lucky to earn a penalty in the 29th minute when Talal Mubarak brought down Jones in the box. Referee Ahmed Eisa Mohamed pointed to the spot and Ali Mabkhout did the needful.

Within six minutes Jones consolidated Jazira's lead when the tall Trinidad & Tobago striker rose above the Al Shaab defenders to head home past Al Tawila.

Jones could have added to his tally three minutes later when Ali Mabkhout found him free on the left. The pony-tailed Trinidadian worked his way past a defender and having a good view of the Shaab goal sent a rasping shot which Al Tawila did well to dive to his left and parry away.

Shaab coach Cusin made three changes in the second half and it seemed to have spurred the team. The Commandos began to call the shots. Substitute Yaqoub's free-kick was desperately punched away by Khaseif. From another move by Shaab, Leite was tripped from behind by Mussallem Fayez. The Jazira defender was rightly sent off.

Pressure started to mount on Jazira and they succumbed with Sultan Al Suwaidi unintentionally scoring past his goalkeeper in the 64th minute and Brazilian Jose Eduardo found the equaliser in the 77th with a superb effort. Mabkhout was denied on two occasions from close by Al Tawila but he was not to be denied in his third attempt to keep Jazira's hopes of finishing in the top three well and truly on the road. - Clareto@khaleejtimes.com