Temporary lead for the 'leader' after a big win over Al Wahda
Eye.. At the top of «happiness»
Al Ain players celebrate after the victory over Al Wahda yesterday. Cinematographer: Najeeb Mohamed
Al Ain team climbed to the temporary top of the ADNOC Professional League yesterday, after its precious victory over its host Al Wahda in the "El Clasico", which brought the two teams together in the round of 19. Al Ain will have to wait for Shabab Al Ahli (39 points) against Al Jazira and Al Wasl (38 points) against Sharjah today, to know the fate of their league lead with 40 points. In contrast, Al Wahda remained at 37 points. Al Ain defender Tin Gidvag cut the tape of the goals of the match in the 25th minute, and his teammate Laba Kodjo strengthened with the second goal in the 65th minute, while Caio concluded the hat-trick in the 68th minute.
An error of discretion by Al Wahda goalkeeper Mohammed Al Shamsi caused him to concede an early goal, after Croatian Tin Gidvaj sent a curved ball from a far area into the box, but it went towards the goalkeeper who failed to deal with it.
Al-Annabi appeared stronger at the beginning of the second half, as he imposed his style completely and threw his weight offensively, which prompted the guests to retreat to secure their progress, while the turning point was that Al-Wahda defender Abdullah Al-Karbi received a direct red card in the 56th minute, due to a violent intervention on Al Ain player Palacios, which constituted a fatal blow to his team's efforts to return, and in return allowed the guests to control the match.
As time passed, Al Wahda coach Manuel Jimenez found himself required to throw his weight offensively, and made a substitution with clear offensive intentions by withdrawing midfielder Alan Marquez and bringing in striker Daniel. The gaps in Al Wahda's defence were evident as they moved forward, which the visitors benefited from scoring the second goal through Togolese Laba Kodjo, who benefited from a defensive error during the clearance of the ball, while his teammate Caio returned just three minutes later to score the third goal with a shot from inside the penalty.