Arabian Gulf League matchweek 8 Roundup
Al Wasl moved two points clear at the top of the Arabian Gulf League table by the end of matchweek 8 action, after their 3-0 victory over Al Dhafra took them to 20 points while Al Ain stumbled with a home draw against Al Jazira to stay second with 18 points.
Al Wahda occupy third place in the table with 16 points while Dubai sides Shabab Al Ahli and Al Nasr are fourth and fifth respectively with 13 points each. Reigning champions Al Jazira continue to linger at sixth with ten points while Sharjah and Dibba have nine points each the next two places. Goal-difference keeps seven-points Al Dhafra ahead of tenth-placed Ajman, while the same advantage favours Emirates over bottom side Hatta as both sit on four points each.
In the six matches that took place over Friday and Saturday, two games ended in draws, while three games secured away victory and Al Wasl were the only side to win on home soil.
The weekend's action got underway at Hatta where Al Nasr recorded a 5-1 win. Sharjah came back from neighbouring Ajman with the three points as a solitary goal gave coach Abdulaziz Al Anbari his second win in four games in charge of the King. Day 1 concluded with Al Wasl's 3-0 victory over Al Dhafra at Zabeel Stadium.
Saturday's games started with a 4-1 away victory for Al Wahda at Emirates while Shabab Al Ahli's draws run was extended to four games after a 1-1 tie against Dibba at Rashid Stadium. Matchweek 8 concluded with a 2-2 draw between Al Ain and Al Jazira at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. The champions came from two goals down to grab a late equaliser courtesy of an Ali Mabkhout brace.
The latest round of games saw 21 goals scored with an average of 3.5 goals a game. No match ended goalles even as Al Dhafra and Ajman failed to find the back of the net.
Referees issued 25 yellow cards while no players were sent off and no penalty kicks were awarded in the six matches.
Al Wasl's Fabio de Lima continues to top the goalscoring charts despite drawing a blank this weekend, while Shabab Al Ahli's Makhete Diop ended his three-game drought to reach seven goals. Markus Berg's brace for Al Ain put him level with Al Wahda's Sebastian Tagliabue and Al Wasl's Caio Canedo on six goals each. Al Wahda's Mourad Batna, Al Dhafra's Ailton Almeida and Emirates' Sebastian Saez all have five goals each.
