Al Nasr beat Al Wasl to book semifinal spot

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Al Nasr beat Al Wasl to book semifinal spot
Al Nasr and Al Wasl players vie for the ball.

Dubai - Al Nasr will now play the semifinal against Shabab Al Ahli

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Published: Sat 29 Dec 2018, 9:04 PM

Last updated: Sat 29 Dec 2018, 11:10 PM

Al Nasr secured their spot in the semifinal of the Arabian Gulf Cup after defeating Al Wasl 4-3 on penalties at Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium on Friday night, a press release said.
Penalties separated the winners from the vanquished after the scores were level at 0-0 after extra time.
The Blues qualified to the quarterfinal after topping Group B with 15 points from five wins and one defeat. Their opponents, the Cheetahs, were fourth in Group A with eight points, off two wins, two defeats and two draws.
Al Wasl controlled the earliest stages of the match and proved to be more dangerous. On the 20-minute mark, Vinicius Lima's effort was denied by Al Nasr keeper Ibrahim Essa Ali.
On the other side of the field, Al Nasr were dealt a huge blow when they were reduced to 10 men in the 28th minute. Masoud Soliman was shown a straight red card after fouling Al Wasl's forward Caio Canedo Correa few inches outside the box. The Blues also lost the services of Marcos Gabriel for injury as he was replaced by Ahmed Ibrahim in the 36th minute.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Blues continued to push forward, hoping to break the deadlock. Ten minutes into the second half, Al Nasr's Mubarak Saeed effort was saved by the Al Wasl keeper Humaid Abdulla Ali. Alvaro Negredo's attempt was also saved three minutes later.
In an attempt to boost their attacking options, Al Nasr coach brought on forward Mohamad Salman Alakberi to replace Jassim Yaqoob in the 66th minute. On the other side, Al Wasl's Vinicius Lima also made way for Hamad Mohammad with 10 minutes to go.
Al Wasl had a number of chances in the late stages of the game but were denied by the Al Nasr keeper.
The match went into extra time after the scores were level at 0-0 after 90 minutes. However, neither side managed to find the back of the net, forcing a penalty decider.
Caio Canedo Correa and Fabio De Lima netted for Al Wasl and Alvaro Negredo and Habib Alfardan scored for Al Nasr the first two penalties. Then, Abdulla Jassim Ali and Yohan Cabaye missed the third penalty for both sides to remain tied at 2-2. Jassim Ali's effort was saved by the keeper, while Yohan Cabaye's shot went over the bar.
Ban-Suk Oh wasted the Cheetahs' fourth attempt, while Tariq Ahmed netted for the Blues to give his side a 3-2 lead. Yousef Ahmed and Mohamad Salman Alakberi then scored their sides' fifth attempt as Al Nasr emerged 4-3 winners.
Al Nasr will now play the semifinal against Shabab Al Ahli, who earned a hard-fought 4-2 win over Al Jazira in the quarterfinal on Thursday.


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