AGLEAGUE matchweek 18 roundup
Following the conclusion of matchweek 18 of the Arabian Gulf League, competition raged between top-of-the-table and bottom-of-the-table teams.
None of the games that were held on Friday and Saturday ended in a draw, with the home teams winning all the encounters, except for Ittihad Kalba who fell to a 3-1 defeat at home to Shabab Al Ahli.
SHARJAH CONTINUE MARCH TO TITLE
Al Jazira failed to give Sharjah their first defeat of the season as the King earned a 3-2 win after scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes of the match.
Sharjah continue to top the league standings on 46 points, after getting 14 wins and four draws. They moved a step closer to the league title as they maintained the eight-point gap with second-placed Al Ain.
Meanwhile, the Boss returned to winning ways after beating Fujairah 2-1 to raise their points tally to 38.
They sit three points above third-placed Shabab Al Ahli who defeated Ittihad Kalba and four points above Al Jazira who lost to Sharjah.
Al Wahda and Bani Yas are tied on 30 points after beating Emirates Club and Ajman to occupy fifth and sixth spots, respectively. The Clarets defeated the Falcons 2-0, and the Sky Blues earned a 3-1 win over the Oranges.
MID-TABLE COMPETITION
Seventh-placed Al Wasl are seven points behind Bani Yas. The Cheetahs beat Al Dhafra 2-1 to raise their points tally to 23. Meanwhile, Al Dhafra dropped to eighth place on 23 points.
Ajman, who sit ninth, also have 23 points after losing 3-1 to Bani Yas. They are three points above 10th-placed Ittihad Kalba who lost to Shabab Al Ahli.
TOUGH COMPETITION
The four spots at the bottom of the table are occupied by Al Nasr, Fujairah, Emirates and Dibba.
Matchweek 18 saw the Sailors, who lost 14 games so far, get their second win of the season after beating Al Nasr 2-1.
The Blues remain frozen on 17 points in 11th place, while Dibba earned their eighth point but remained at the bottom of the table. The Sailors are now four points behind 13th-placed Emirates and five behind Fujairah in 12th place.
Following the defeat to Dibba, Al Nasr board decided to sack coach Beñat San José.
TAGLIABUÉ TOPS GOALSCORING CHARTS Argentine forward Sebastián Tagliabué jumped to the top of the goalscoring charts after scoring a brace for Al Wahda. He’s tied on 17 goals with Al Jazira’s Ali Mabkhout.
They sit one goal above third-placed Sharjah’s Welliton. Meanwhile, Pedro Conde ended his three-game goalscoring draught after scoring against Ajman to raise his tally to 13 goals in fourth place.
A total of 24 goals were scored in matchweek 18 with an average of 3.4 goals per game.
