Abu Dhabi: Dibba, who suffered a humiliating 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Al Wahda in the opening match of the Arabian Gulf League, bounced back strongly to beat defending champions Al Jazira 1-0 in their own backyard at the Fujairah Stadium on Friday.
The solitary goal was scored by Khalifa Al Shayary.
Al Jazira coach Henk ten Cate had warned his players of Dibba coming hard at them especially after the morale-shattering loss against Wahda and his worst fears came true as his side faced their first defeat of the season.
Within seven minutes of the start, Al Jazira lost their mercurial striker Ahmad Khalil to what looked like a knee injury and he was replaced by Khalfan Mubarak. Understandably, Al Jazira lost a bit of potency in their attack after that early setback and their raids weren’t as freeflowing any more. The absence of prolific scorer Ali Mabkhout in their line-up was also surprising and that too hurt Al Jazira.
Their high-profile signing for the season, Lassana Diarra of France, was the first to take a clear shot at the opposition goal in the 17th minute but an alert Dibba goalkeeper Fahd Mohammad did well to block it.
Thereafter, the match was confined to mid-field duels and both teams went into the break without disturbing the scorers.
After the change of ends, Dibba showed far more purpose and their Senegal striker Alassane Diallo managed to find some space to test Jazira goalkeeper Ali Khaseif on a couple of occasions but to no avail.
Then, in the 51st minute, the hosts broke the deadlock through a corner from Brazilian Jossel Verirra. Al Shayary was well positioned in front of the goal to provide the faintest of touches to slot it home.
With their backs to the wall, Al Jazira were forced to double their efforts in search of the equaliser. They were almost rewarded in the 62nd minute but the upright came to the rescue of Dibba. Brazilian Romario’s header beat the Dibba goalkeeper Mohammad in the air but found the horizontal.
With Al Jazira pressing forward, Dibba found several opportunities to double the lead on counters. Diallo and Verirra found openings upfront but were somehow kept at bay.
With the clock ticking away, Al Jazira tried everything in their power to get the equaliser but with everyone in the Dibba camp defending, their forwards had very little room to manoeuvre.
In the end, the hosts soaked up all the pressure to steal a morale-boosting win, which could do a world of good to their confidence as the league progresses.
