Saleh earns Al Nasr gritty win over Sharjah

Abu Dhabi - The opening chance fell to Sharjah but striker Gelmin Rivas' powerful header crashed into the goal post

Salem Saleh's first-half goal was enough for Al Nasr to beat Sharjah in the high-intensity Round 20 encounter of the Arabian Gulf League at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Friday night.
The opening chance fell to Sharjah but striker Gelmin Rivas' powerful header crashed into the goal post. The opportunity came through as forward Yousif Saeed headed to Rivas from a long throw-in from defender Khaled Al Rezzi.
Al Nasr then responded with sustained spell of attacks. Midfielder Jires Kembo Ekoko kept Sharjah defence busy and even set goal-scoring opportunities but finishing was a worry. In the 18th minute, midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada was unlucky as he found the crossbar through a fine pass from Fawaz Awana, who was a livewire on the night. And minutes later, Barrada made a splendid cross that caught Sharjah defence unawares and striker Salem Saleh managed to get a foot but couldn't net.
Saleh finally scored as he made good Masoud Sulaiman's inch-perfect cross from the right flank. Despite a high-power leap, Sharjah skipper Abdulla Salem couldn't keep out the pass as Saleh managed to deposit it past keeper Adel Al Hosani in the 29th minute.
It was an entertaining half and watching the proceedings from the stands were two illustrious personalities - UAE coach Mahdi Ali and Al Nasr's Wanderley.
Second half started with striker Rivas header being parried by Al Nasr keeper Ahmed Shambih. There were persistent forays by Sharjah into Al Nasr territory with Rivas, Yousif Saeed and Chikashi Masuda all having good scoring chances but frustratingly missing the mark. In the 65th minute, Rivas' curling free-kick was barely kept out by Shambih and ball hit the post. Sharjah desperately tried to wipe the deficit but Al Nasr held on grittily. Sharjah kept the pressure till the fifth minute of additional time but couldn't find an equaliser.
With this win, Al Nasr now move to fifth in the points table with 29 points from 20 matches and Sharjah remain rooted on 11th spot.  ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
Goal
Al Nasr (1): Salem Saleh (29)
Sharjah (0)