Abu Dhabi: Al Jazira striker Ali Mabkhout insisted team glory rather than personal success matters to him more after scoring again in his side’s 3-0 dismantling of Dibba on Wednesday evening.
The commanding win propelled the Pride of Abu Dhabi nine points clear of second-placed Al Ahli at the top of the Arabian Gulf League ahead of the Red Knights’ home game with Al Wasl on Thursday evening.
Mabkhout netted his 27th goal, to help him remain the AGL’s leading goalscorer, at the Fujairah Club Stadium as Jazira resumed domestic competition following a 26-day international break.
Khalfan Mubarak was also on target for Henk ten Cate’s men in the first half, while Leonardo sealed victory with a 79th-minute strike to take Jazira’s tally to 56 points with four games left.
“It’s a good start for us coming after the international break,” UAE striker Mabkhout said.
“We still need to win two more games to lay our hands on a second AGL title.
“The two goals we scored before the break were the key to our win. We created several chances prior to that but creating chances and not scoring wasn’t good enough.”
Of his own sustained brilliance, Mabkhout added: “Indeed, it’s been a good season for me but more important are goals that I score can win games for the team.
“Of course, I wouldn’t have that many times if it wasn’t for the support of my teammates.”
After concerted early pressure that yielded a number of chances, an early goal looked inevitable for Jazira.
However, it took until five minutes before half time for the breakthrough to arrive.
Dibba defender Hamdan Qasem brought down Mubarak in the penalty area and Mabkhout stepped up to score from the spot. Mubarak doubled the lead when he curled in a 25-yard free-kick three minutes later.
With Jazira all but assured of victory, the visitors struck again when Mabkhout slipped in a pass for Leonardo to send a low shot past Dibba goalkeeper Fahd Mohammad at the near post.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Al Wahda manager Javier Aguirre said a top-four finish remains possible after his team’s 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Emirates at Ras Al Khaimah.
“This has been our objective since we dropped out of the AGL race,” he said.
“We have four games to play, including Al Ahli and Al Ain, but after our fourth successive win, I feel we can do it.”
Wahda opened the scoring in the third minute when Iraqi centre-back Ahmad Ebrahim attempted to clear Mohammad Al Akberi’s cross from the right wing but instead sent it past his own goalkeeper.
Sebastian Sacha levelled after a mistake from Wahda goalkeeper Rashed Ali, who rushed forward to clear a long ball, but misjudged the flight of the ball.
Wahda regained the lead in first-half injury time when Rim Chang-woo delivered a long throw-in into the Emirates penalty area that was nodded on by Al Akberi for winger Tareq Ahmad to chest the ball down before lashing a half-volley past Saqr.
