The unstoppable Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba fired holders Al-Ain right back into ADNOC Pro League’s title mix and Al-Dhafra’s 11-year stay met its demise in a gripping matchweek 23.
A heavyweight match-up at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium with star-studded Sharjah was settled by Laba’s ruthlessly dispatched, unanswered brace.
With three matches left, this invigorating 2-0 victory helped Al-Ain create a tantalising three-point gap to long-time leaders Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai after Morocco magician Adel Taarabt’s 91st-minute goal secured an entertaining 2-2 draw for 10-man Al-Nasr.
Al-Wahda are five-points off the top in third following an Adrien Silva-inspired, 3-1 victory in the Abu Dhabi Derby against near-neighbors Al-Jazira. Al-Wasl went fourth when Ivorian youngster Adama Diallo’s pair ended their four-match-winless top-flight run courtesy of a commanding 3-0 triumph versus helpless Baniyas.
At the opposite end of the table, bottom-placed Al-Dhafra dropped into First Division League with a whimper when beaten 3-1 by Khor Fakkan in a must-win meeting from which they trailed 2-0 after five minutes.
Second-bottom Dibba Al-Fujairah, meanwhile, moved within striking distance of safety, and increased the anxiety at third-bottom Al-Bataeh, with a 1-0 victory which created a three-point gap between the sides.
Morocco striker Walid Azaro was again among the goals when sixth-placed Ajman edged Ittihad Kalba 2-0.
Here are Arab News’ top picks and a talking point from the latest action.
Player of the week — Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba (Al-Ain)
ADNOC Pro League’s “Mr Clutch” delivered, once again.
Both Al-Ain and Sharjah entered this heavyweight contest knowing that defeat would definitively end their title dreams for another season. It is the champions who remain standing, thanks to the continued grit and accuracy of their sensational No.9.
Laba’s double shifted him onto a league-leading 25 goals from 23 run-outs this term. In top-half-of-the table clashes, the numbers break down to 10 goals in 11 appearances.
This impact has echoes of Ghana superstar Asamoah Gyan’s exalted stint in the Garden City from 2011-15. Laba merits similar iconic status.
On Tuesday evening, the Togo center forward arrived at the near post to head home the vital fourth-minute opener. Even better was to follow four minutes from time when immense strength to hold off UAE warrior Shaheen Abdulrahman was followed by a ferocious drive into the goal’s roof from an unpropitious angle.
Celebrated Juventus, Barcelona and Bosnia and Herzegovina alumnus Miralem Pjanic started in midfield for Sharjah. But his influence was a pale imitation of Laba’s.
March’s 1-0 loss to Nasr and stalemate with Shabab Al-Ahli looked to have quelled Al-Ain’s resurgent 2023, but matchweek 23 saw the pendulum swing back in their direction.
Leonardo Jardim’s pace-setters will need to slip up a minimum of twice in the run-in. But hope remains at Al-Ain of a remarkable comeback, thanks to Laba’s lethality on the biggest nights.
Goal of the week — Yahya Al-Ghassani (Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club)
Opportunity and belief were all Yahya Al-Ghassani required.
An elite prospect given top billing since his days in the then-Al-Ahli academy, he has struggled to find a place in the adult game. Under Jardim, a lauded talent-spotter at Monaco and Sporting Lisbon, prominence has finally been granted to the 25-year-old.
Reward for such faith came with a refined, fifth top-flight goal from Al-Ghassani’s 20th outing of a breakthrough 2022-23 season. A dozen of these are now starts; two more than last season’s previous personal high of 10.
A combination of ex-Argentina youth playmaker Fede Cartabia and Uzbekistan midfielder Azizjon Ganiev won the ball back from Nasr within their own half. The latter, then, looked up and threaded an incisive pass between the host defenders at Al-Maktoum Stadium.
Al-Ghassani’s mix of lightning speed and rarefied technique saw him burn through on an unmatched inside run, before applying the deftest of clips past Ahmed Shambieh.
Such interventions showcase a gifted winger belatedly developing into his prime, for club and country. He has been worth the wait.
Coach of the week — Hassan Al Abdooli (Dibba Al-Fujairah)
Hope abounds for Dibba.
The promoted side seemed relegation certainties throughout a campaign spent exclusively in the bottom spots. Not even the winter hire of coveted ex-Wahda coach Gregory Dufrennes appeared enough to prevent an instant return to the second flight, a competition they presided over from 2019-2022.
Dufrennes departed in December and was replaced by Hassan Al-Abdooli, an unheralded long-term acolyte of Mahdi Ali with the UAE’s “Golden Generation.”
Expectations were low. But results have improved after a disastrous opening, their five-match unbeaten run continuing with a vital 1-0 victory in the relegation shootout.
Khalid Abdullah’s deflected effort may be the season’s decisive incident. It has certainly left sinking Bataeh with plenty to ponder.
Al-Bataeh have sleepwalked into relegation crisis
Bataeh’s startling rise from being founded in 2012 to reaching ADNOC Pro League by 2022 showed no sign of slowing down in this season’s early rounds.
But subsequent calls have put their ascension at substantial risk.
A substantial summer recruitment drive was overseen by ex-Khor Fakkan and Nasr tactician Caio Zanardi. He exited after a 6-0 humbling by Shabab Al-Ahli in November.
Caretaker Said Chkhit oversaw a 1-0 victory at Dibba. So far, so good.
But a winless run from which just six points were taken from 39 available has left them on the precipice of relegation.
Bataeh are protected by a three-point gap to Dibba. Identical head-to-head records and a goal difference of one, in Bateh’s favor, create slender margins for error.
Further interventions appeared necessary. They did not follow.
This inaction may yet be met with significant punishment.