(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Cheetahs skipper Caio scores the all-important goal at Zabeel Stadium
Dubai: Ten-man Al Wasl registered their first victory of this Arabian Gulf League (AGL) season with a narrow 1-0 win over Ittihad Kalba at Zabeel Stadium here on Sunday evening.
The Cheetahs’ club captain Caio began to repay the faith shown in him by under-pressure Wasl boss Jorginho with the only goal of the game in the seventh minute to edge this basement battle. Hassan Zahran’s second-half dismissal put Wasl’s winning position in jeopardy but they just about held on in the end for three precious points.
Ciao match-winner came early on when Ederson swung in a curling centre to the far post to Saeed Al Kathiri whose stooping header was kept up by Mohamed Othman. Othman didn’t get sufficient purchase on his parry though and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble that followed Caio athletically converted with an overhead kick from close range.
The Ederson-Caio combination created another opening some five minutes later and the latter really should have netted his – and Wasl’s – second. Othman saving smartly down at Caio’s feet after another Ederson cross caused yet more consternation in the visitors’ penalty area.
Fabio Lima duly tried his luck from distance which brought a comfortable claim out of Othman before Kalba spurned a great opportunity to level things up in the 33rd minute.
Syrian winger Wael Ayan took the ball down on the left byeline and cut back inside past Hazza Salem to bear down on Ismail Rabee’s goal. His low shot beat the Wasl debutant but not retreating centre-back Yaser Salem as he cleared the goalbound attempt away a mere matter of yards from the line.
That was Kalba’s clearest chance in a first half where they otherwise appeared most likely to level things up through dead-ball situations with Jorginho’s men looking decidedly uncertain at corners and free-kicks.
A crisp Al Kathiri volley then had Othman sprawling across his goal to keep the ball out of his net seven minutes after the restart as Wasl pressed for a more comfortable cushion.
That was to be Al Kathiri’s last notable contribution as he was subbed off just after the hour mark and another Wasl player traipsed away from the fray in altogether different circumstances moments later.
Hassan was given his marching orders for an innocuous off-the-ball incident involving Yagoub Hassan who saw yellow for his part in the apparent fracas.
Kalba’s subsequent late rally — including an last-gasp penalty shout at the death - ultimately came to nothing though as Wasl stoically stood firm in the dying embers.
Al Wasl: Ismail Rabee Abdalla Saleh Ederson Fabio Lima (Abdullah Malalla 79) Saeed Al Kathiri (Adnan Hussein 63) Ahmed Al Shamisi Salem Abdulla Yaser Salem Hassan Zahran Hazza Salem Caio (Ghanim Basheer 86).
Ittihad Kalba: Mohamed Othman Yagoub Hassan (Fareed Al Hammadi 73) Rafael de Souza Luis Leal Wael Ayan Suleiman Yousif Hassan Ali Khalifa Ali (Ibrahim Al Mansouri 57) Khaled Obaid (Sanad Ibrahim 45) Ali Mahmoud Yaser Abdulla.
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