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Jo Alves hat trick in big Shabab victory

Al Shabab advanced to the Arabian Gulf Cup (AGC) semifinals with a splendid 4-2 victory over Sharjah at the Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium here on Tuesday. The Slashers topped Group-B with 12 points from five starts to go five points clear off second-placed Al Wahda and Dibba, who have played the same numbers of matches. On the other hand, Sharjah need a miracle to make it into second stage of the championship as they are stranded in the middle with five points from five starts.
A hat trick by former Brazilian international forward João Alves set the tone for big Al Shabab win. He opened the scoring in the 14th second in what could be recorded as the fastest goal in the history of the competition. Alves then made the best of a crisp pass from Luvannor for his second goal after 27 minutes. The Brazilian completed his hat-trick from the spot in the 42nd minute as the teams crossed over with Al Shabab in a commanding 3-0 lead.
In the second half, Luvanoor made it 4-0, but Sharjah hit back with two goals from Wanderley and Manie Saeed to cut the deficit.
Al Shabab's veteran defender Essa Mohammed praised the strong fighting spirit and commitment of his teammates saying. "It is good to qualify for the semis one week ahead of the end of the preliminary round," he added..
hisham@khaleejtimes.com