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Dubai overcome Al Wahda

Rami Yaslam fired the match-winner with nine minutes left as Dubai FC returned home with a 2-1 win from Al Wahda in the Etisalat UAE Pro-League at the Al Nahyan Stadium on Saturday night.

Both sides were deadlocked after Marcelo had cancelled out Richard Porta strike in the opening minutes of the game. But Yaslam scored from a Porta assist, with nine minutes left.

Al Wahda were without their Asian recruit Mohammed Al Shaibah, who suffered an injury while on National duty with Oman. Shaibah faces a two week lay-off or possibly even six months away from the game. UAE team captain Ismail Matar was rested for the game, while Papa Waigo was benched.

Dubai FC stunned the Al Wahda faithful by taking the lead in the very second minute of the game through former Al Wasl man Richard Porta.

Simon Pierre Feindouno and Porta played a one-two before Feindouno went down the left and squared it perfectly for Porta. Porta slotted it from close range, with ease.

But that lead was short-lived though as Al Wahda found the equaliser two minutes later. Salem Saleh fired in a cross from the right and Marcelo sent a grounder. Dubai FC goalkeeper Jamal Abdallah Ali dived to his right but couldn’t get a hold of it and the ball rolled in.

Dubai came close to taking the lead again in the 19th minute but Magrao, who returned to his former club Al Wahda, sent his header wide after a cross from the right.

Al Wahda’s best chance came in the 24th minute but they were denied by the woodwork. Mohammed Al Shehhi set it up perfectly for Adel Basulaiman, whose stinger hit the left post.

Srdan Andric had a couple of chances in the 32nd and 34th minutes. First, his volley was collected by goalkeeper Jamal Abdallah Ali following a corner from Mohammed Al Shehhi. Then, his swerving freekick was punched away by an airborne Jamal Abdallah Ali.

Later, in the 55th minute, Saeed Al Kathiri’s header just whizzed past the post after a Salem Saleh cross from the right.

Al Wahda thought they had taken the lead in the 69th minute when Saeed Al Kathiri headed home after substitute Papa Waigo, who had come in for Mohammed Al Shehhi, had sent in a cross from the right. But he was well off-side.

With nine minutes left on the clock, Dubai FC took the lead though Rami Yaslam. Porta sent a low cross from the right and Yaslam raced ahead and fired it home.

Teams:

Al Wahda: Adel Mohammed, Tawfeeq Al Hosani, Adel Basulaiman, Srdan Andric, Mohammed Al Shehhi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Saeed Al Kathiri, Marcelo Oliveira Da Silva, Eisa Ahmed, Othman Al Shamsi, Salem Saleh. Substitutes: Ali Mohammed, Khalid Jalal, Abdulla Saeed, Papa Waigo, Ibraheem Alawi, Salem Jasim, Abdulla Muhrizi. Coach: Brank Ivankovic.

Dubai FC: Jamal Abdallah Ali, Ahmed Mallah, Simon Pierre Feindouno, Ali Hassan, Magrao, Rami Yaslam, Yousif Mohammed Yousif, Richard Porta, Al Hassane Keita. Substitutes: Yousuf Ahmed, Mohammed Ibrahim, Mohammed Ali Hussain, Ali Mahmoud, Ahmed Dheyaa Kadhem, Ismail Ahmed, Faisal Ali. Coach: Rene Marsigila.

Referee: Mohammed Abdulkarim Al Zarouni.

james@khaleejtimes.com