Dibba Al-Fujairah claimed a 4-3 victory over Gulf United in Division 1's Regular Season round two on Thursday afternoon. The result puts the hosts second in the table with two wins from two games, while Gulf United remain winless after their opening fixture.
The opening exchanges saw M. Atanda turn his own net against his side in the eighth minute, but N. Bosco restored parity for the hosts six minutes later. And here's the thing about the twenty-first minute — X. Lajthia fired Gulf United back into contention just as the game threatened to drift one way. B. Afobe restored Dibba's lead before the break, a goal that would not prove sufficient.
Gulf United pressed forward after the interval and J. Fraki equalised in the sixty-ninth minute. By then the match had settled into something more open, with both sides looking for a winner. The drama reached its peak in stoppage time when M. Atanda struck for his side in the ninety-sixth minute, only for A. Saeed to respond within a minute.
The statistics tell an interesting story. Both teams held equal possession at fifty per cent, but Gulf United registered ten shots on target compared to Dibba's seven. The visitors also created more attacks overall, yet Dibba's efficiency proved decisive. The hosts earned four corners to Gulf's five, while the visitors picked up two yellow cards against one for the home side.
The result means Dibba Al-Fujairah move to the top of their section with six points from two matches. Gulf United sit thirteenth on zero points after their first defeat, having found only one win in their last five outings across all competitions.