5285 Fans Attended Round 1 Match to Support the Boss.. The Boss Kicks Off the Journey in AGL by Edging Tigers of Kalba by 3-2
Al Ain deservedly and excitingly won the guests, Ittihad Kalba, by 3-2 in round 1 match of the Arabian Gulf League held at the Hazza Bin Zayed on Friday 20th September 2019.
The first half ended by a 1-1 draw. Al Ain scored through Laba Kodjoe “8”, Jamal Marouf “54” and Saeed Jumaa “90+6”. Meanwhile, Togolese Peniel Mlapa of Ittihad Kalba scored his teams’ two goals “19, 93”.
With this result, Al Ain snatched the first three points, while Kalba has zero points.
As of the kickoff whistle, the Boss dominated the match and sought to score the opening goal. Laba Kodjo broke the deadlock for the Boss in the eighth minute. The new signing converted ِAbdul Rahman Meziane’s well-placed cross with a powerful header into the bottom corner.
The Tigers responded quickly through Peniel Mlapa, who finished Balazs Dzsudzsak’s crossed corner kick with a towering header to level things up in the 19th minute.
The hosts restored their lead only nine minutes after the restart. Kodjo turned from scorer to producer, when he sent an in-swinging cross towards Jamal Marouf, whose right-footed volley went past Yousif Abdalla “54th minute”.
In the 83rd minute, Yassin Bakhit advanced up the left flank and cut inside before squaring the ball towards Mlapa. The Togolese smashed the ball into the top corner to net his second goal of the night.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Tsukasa Shiotani sent a robust low cross inside the box after a brilliant effort. Saeed Jumaa converted with a smart first-time shot that left Abdalla helpless after it deflected off the Kalba defender.
Al Ain: 3
Goals: Lapa Kodjo “8” – Jamal Marouf “54” – Saeed Jumaa “90 + 6”
Starting Lineup: Khaled Eisa, Saeed Jumaa, Ismail Ahmed, Tsukasa Shiotani, Salem Abdullah, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, Ahmed Barman, Andreja Radovanovic, Abdul Rahman Meziane, Jamal Marouf and Laba Kodjo.
Substitutions: Idris El Mizouni replaced Mohamed Abdul Rahman “66”, Bandar Al Ahbabi replaced Jamal Marouf “77”, Omar Yassin replaced Andreja Radovanovic “83”.
Yellow Cards: None.
Red Cards: None.
Ittihad Kalba: 2
Goals: Peniel Mlapa “19”, Peniel Mlapa “83”
Starting Lineup: Yousef Abdullah, Dawood Ali, Henrique Adriano, Hamdan Nasser Masoud, Omar Ahmed Rashid, Mansour Al Bloushi, Khalid Mohammed Al Shehhi, Majid Rashid, Yassin Al Bakhit, Balazs Dzsudzsak, Peniel Mlapa.
Substitutions: Yaqoob Al Hosani replaced Khaled Al Shehhi “66” – Abdul Salam Mohammed replaced Daoud Al Balushi “90 + 3”.
Yellow Cards: Balazs Dzsudzsak’s “59” – Yousif Abdullah “86”
Red Cards: Mohammed Al Zaabi, Supervisor of Kalba Team “60”
Referees
Ahmed Issa Mohammed managed the match as the “Match Referee”, assisted by Hassan Al Mahri “First Assistant”, Mohammed Ghlaita Al Shehhi, “Second Assistant”, Ali Hassan Karim “Fourth Official”, Ammar Al Junaibi, “First Video Referee” and Abdullah Naji , “Second Video Referee”, Ali Hamad, “Referees’ Assessors” and Hamad Al Mazrouei “Match Commissioner”.
5285 Fans Attended the Match
A total of 5,285 loyal fans were available in the standings of the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to be behind their favorite team.
