Al Jazira defeated Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 3-1 in the Pro-League on Saturday. The visitors had to weather an early storm before turning the game in their favour. They moved into second place on 12 points, one behind the league leaders.
Shabab Al Ahli took the lead inside two minutes when Guilherme da Silva Goncalves finished a quick move. To be fair, the hosts pressed high and won the ball early. Al Jazira looked unsettled, but they did not panic. Malcom equalised just after the break in the 45th minute plus five. Marcus Vinicius Barbosa Meloni put the visitors ahead in the 55th minute.
And here's the thing about the statistics. Al Ahli enjoyed 61 per cent possession and attempted 503 passes. They created zero big chances and hit the target four times. Al Jazira had 39 per cent possession but registered six big chances and five shots on goal. They ended up with the higher expected goals figure, 1.48 to 1.25.
Shabab Al Ahli had won four straight matches before this game. They beat Al Wasl 1-0, Al Dhafra 2-0 and Al Khaleej 5-1 in their previous outings. Al Jazira had also won three in a row before that 1-4 defeat to Al Ittihad. This result ended a run for both sides.
Kristjan Asllani added a third goal for Al Jazira in the 90th minute plus one. The visitors kept their side in it with substitutions that changed the shape of the game. Sardar Azmoun came on for Rikelme in the 58th minute, and Bruno De Oliveira replaced Ravil Tagir shortly after.
The scoreline tells you the story. Al Jazira did not dominate possession but they took their chances. Shabab Al Ahli had the ball more often but could not convert. The gap between the two sides in the table now stands at three points.
