Al Dhafra draw denies Al Wahda top spot

Dubai - The draw puts Al Wahda in second place with 30 points, two behind leaders Al Ain

Al Wahda were denied the top spot on the table after they failed to take advantage of Al Ain's slip and fell to a late 1-1 draw against Al Dhafra at the Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in matchweek 14 of the Arabian Gulf League.
The draw puts Al Wahda in second place with 30 points, two behind leaders Al Ain. Al Dhafra remained at the bottom with nine points, a single point behind 11th placed Hatta.
The visitors started on the offensive as Mourad Batna sent a dangerous cross into the box but Sebastian Tagliabue failed to capitalize inside the first two minutes of the game.
In the 4th minute, Mohamed Al Akberi took a shot at goal from just outside the six-yard box, only for Al Dhafra goalkeeper Zayed Al Hammadi to parry it away.
In the 23rd minute, Al Wahda were awarded a penalty after Khalid Al Darmaki fouled Al Akberi in the 18-yard box. Batna stepped up to take the penalty and slotted the ball into the left corner to open the scoring for the away side.
Just ten minutes later, Al Dhafra were close to conceding a goal of the season contender when Tagliabue received the ball from a corner, controlled it and hit an overhead kick that went just wide of the post.
Al Wahda, despite enjoying 60 per cent of the possession, only managed to muster three shots on target throughout the game. This proved fatal as Issam Al Adoua equalised for the Western Knights from a half-volleyed effort on the edge of the area, preventing Al Wahda from moving into first place