Abu Dhabi Caio Junior, the newly-appointed coach of defending etisalat Pro League champions Al Jazira, made a winning start against Diego Maradona's Al Wasl thanks to an 85th-minute strike by fellow Brazilian Ricardo Oliveira.
The win, their ninth in 15 games, lifted Al Jazira to second place.
Al Jazira, who lost their last league match to Bani Yas 2-1 and were also trounced in the Etisalat Cup semi-final 4-0 by Al Shabab, left it late in the game but the win would have certainly settled the new coach.
Junior replaced Franky Vercauteren as Al Jazira coach last week and it was his first match in the dugout for the league and President's Cup winners of last season.
Al Jazira dominated Maradona's team for most of the 90-minute encounter and, after fellow Brazilian Bare missed a few chances in the first half, Oliveira fetched them full points.
The former AC Milan and Brazilian forward latched on to a through ball and slotted home from close range, much to the relief of the home fans.
Results: Played on Thursday
Emirates 0 Bani Yas 2
Ajman 3 Al Wahda 1
Al Jazira 1 Al Wasl 0
Friday
Al Shabab 5 Sharjah 1
Al Nasr 0 Dubai 1
