Dubai: Abdul Aziz Barrada scored only his third goal of the season at the fag end to help Al Nasr to full points with a 1-0 win against a gutsy Emirates Club in eleventh week action of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) late on Thursday.
Barrada’s 87th minute strike helped Cesare Prandelli’s men to climb their way through into fourth place with 17 points, just four adrift of joint leaders Al Wasl and Al Ain. Al Wahda are in third with 20 points, but the top three may manage to gain further after Friday’s matches.
After a barren first half, it was Barrada who proved the opportunistic one as he latched on to a hasty clearance and scored in what proved to be a match-winner. Till then, Emirates gave a good account of themselves while defending deep in numbers and then trying to catch Al Nasr on the quick counter.
Only two matches were played on Thursday as Al Jazira is not in a position to play due to their involvement in the ongoing Fifa World Clubs Cup. Al Nasr will now be using Dubai Club’s stadium in Al Aweer as their home ground due to the upgrading of the Al Maktoum Stadium.
On Friday, Al Wasl will host Shabab Al Ahli Dubai in the Dubai derby and that result will either keep the Cheetahs on track for a league crown or derail their ambitions.
RESULT
Al Nasr x Emirates Club 1-0
