Forte Virtus took all three points against Dibba-Al-Hisn with a 1-0 win in the third round of Division 1's regular season on Saturday. The match at their home ground produced a result that settles little and much at once.
M. Dyeidu found the net in the fourth minute, and by then the pattern was set. He worked a short corner, slipped past his marker, and placed the ball into the far corner before the visitors could regroup. And here's the thing — it was the only chance that mattered.
To be fair, the table tells its own story. Forte Virtus sit fifth with six points from three games, two wins and one defeat. Dibba-Al-Hisn are eighth after two matches, one victory and one loss, three points adrift of their opponents.
The hosts came into this knowing they needed to bounce back. They had lost 0-1 to Al-Hamriya on August 30th before answering with a 2-1 win over Emirates a week earlier. This result keeps them within touching distance of the upper half.
The visitors have been more erratic. They opened with a 4-0 demolition of Al-Hamriya on August 23rd, but their other fixtures date back to May — wins against City and Al-Thaid, a draw with Ittifaq, and a narrow victory over Al-Hamriya. Consistency has been the problem.
The scoreline says 1-0, but the gap between the teams is wider than that. Forte Virtus now hold a three-point cushion over Dibba-Al-Hisn in the standings, and the visitors cannot afford another slip if they want to climb.
