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Al Nasr defeat Al Jazira

Former champions Al Jazira dropped to fourth in the table after suffering being handed a thrashing by Al Nasr in the Etisalat UAE Pro-League at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Sunday night. Al Nasr won 5-1.

Al Nasr scored through Habib Fardan Abdualla, Mark Bresciano, Yunus Ahmad Abdualla, Amara Diane and Linardo Lima, while Ali Ahmed Mabkhout got the lone goal for Al Jazira. In another game at the Bani Yas Stadium, Bani Yas defeated Dubai FC 2-0.

Having relinquished the League to Al Ain, Al Jazira coach Caio Junior rested captain Ibrahim Diaky, playmaker Matias Delgado and forward Bare to preserve them for the AFC Champions League.

And Al Jazira went in with virtually a second string line-up. Ricardo Oliveira, who took over the captain’s arm band, had to shoulder additional duties, in the absence of the Diaky, Delgado and Bare.

Though Al Jazira had a better start with back-to-back corners and a couple of forays by Oliveira in the opening minutes, the Jazira backline looked fragile under the assault by Al Nasr.

Al Jazira midfielder Khamis Esmail saw his screamer go just over the cross bar in the 11^th minute before Al Nasr took the lead two minutes later. Habib Fardan Abdualla came up with a fine solo before unleashing his grounder, which hit the left post and rolled in.

Though Al Jazira had six corners in the first 25 minutes, Oliveira was the lone ranger as he failed to get support upfront. Al Jazira had a chance to draw level in the 25^th minute but Ali Ahmed Mabkhout, who was handed a start along with Sultan Saleh Barghash, fired his long ranger from right, over the bar.

But Mabkhout was on target in the 36^th minute as he found the equaliser. Mabkhout broke the off-side trap and latched on to a long ball from the right, controlled it and fired his grounder as an off-balance Nasr goalkeeper and captain Abdualla Moosa Ali went the wrong way.

Al Nasr playmaker Mark Bresciano was lucky to escape with a yellow card in the 41^st minute after he clearly went for Barghash’s leg rather than the ball.

Three minutes later though, Bresciano handed Al Nasr the lead back again with a stinging pile driver. The shot had such venom that an airborne stand-in goalkeeper Khalid Essa, in for Ali Khaseif, did not have a chance at all. It was Bresciano’s ninth goal in the League.

Al Nasr added further salt to Jazira’s wounds by going adding a third in the second minute of two minutes of stoppage time. Khalid Essa blocked an attempt from the right but failed to hold on to it.