Many in the football world have criticised the fact that the international break was taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But aside the national teams who haven’t gathered for too long, there were some clubs who also benefited from the break and came back fresh and different.
One of these teams is Al-Jazira Abu Dhabi.
The international break did good for them. Al-Jazira (Photo: Al-Jazira official Twitter account)
In the last Emirati review in this website, the writer of these lines criticised Al-Jazira for their lack of sharpness and accuracy in the attack, as well as the intensity in the flanks. That’s all changed when the Jazrawys returned fresh and impressive to their big match against Shabab Al-Ahli.
Imo Ezekiel hit his second goal of the season to open scoreboard on the seventh minute and Ali Mabkhout, who missed plenty in the last match before the break, added his own five minutes later. Marcel Keizer’ side hasn’t stopped there. Although the conceded from Igor Jesus quickly after, Abdullah Ramadan brought the advantage back to two in the 37th minute with a fantastic move. 3-1 at halftime was the score.
Igor Jesus got one back for the Dubai side, but Mabkhout got his second in a fantastic goal. A strong possession and quick build-up play found Khalifa Al-Hammadi who crossed it perfectly to Mabkhout who notched the ball in. There was a claim for an offside, but a VAR check cleared it. Even Ahmed Khalil’s goal couldn’t stress Al-Jazira, who added their fifth goal of the match in the stoppage time. A massive victory with a fantastic display.
In the last Emirati review in this website, the writer of these lines criticised Al-Jazira for their lack of sharpness and accuracy in the attack, as well as the intensity in the flanks. That’s all changed when the Jazrawys returned fresh and impressive to their big match against Shabab Al-Ahli.
Imo Ezekiel hit his second goal of the season to open scoreboard on the seventh minute and Ali Mabkhout, who missed plenty in the last match before the break, added his own five minutes later. Marcel Keizer’ side hasn’t stopped there. Although the conceded from Igor Jesus quickly after, Abdullah Ramadan brought the advantage back to two in the 37th minute with a fantastic move. 3-1 at halftime was the score.
Igor Jesus got one back for the Dubai side, but Mabkhout got his second in a fantastic goal. A strong possession and quick build-up play found Khalifa Al-Hammadi who crossed it perfectly to Mabkhout who notched the ball in. There was a claim for an offside, but a VAR check cleared it. Even Ahmed Khalil’s goal couldn’t stress Al-Jazira, who added their fifth goal of the match in the stoppage time. A massive victory with a fantastic display.
علي مبخوت لاعب الجزيرة يسجل هدفه الثاني في مرمى شباب الأهلي ويرفع رصيده إلى أربعة أهداف في الدوري ويرفع تقدم فريقه إلى 4-2#شباب_الأهلي_الجزيرة #دوري_الخليج_العربي pic.twitter.com/7d0v4vl5ge
— الاتحاد الرياضي (@alittihadSport) November 21, 2020
“I have the utmost respect for Shabab Al-Ahli, and I thank them for the offensive game they played offering a beautiful football”, Keizer told the Emirati media after the game.
One should not get carried away with this victory, Al-Jazira still has a lot of work, but it seems that after a hesitating start for the season Keizer’s and the Danish football director, Mads Davidsen, at ‘The Pride of Abu Dhabi’ .
Well. We faced some criticism having too much possession with little outcome. Case closed tonight. Well prepared and executed staff & players 👏💪 @AlJazira_uae @AlJazira_uae_EN pic.twitter.com/sEA30OtJhm
— Mads Davidsen (@MadsRDavidsen) November 21, 2020
Perfect Sharjah
Meanwhile, in Sharjah, the league leaders and the 2018/19 champions have beaten Al-Nasr in some kind of an early “match of the season”, between the only two teams who haven’t lost yet.
Igor Coronado continued his outstanding form, with a dominant display and a brace through two penalties that guaranteed the victory. On the other hand, Dia Saba, the Israeli star of Al-Nasr, continues to show more signs of integration to his new team with a superb equalizing goal in the second half. It wasn’t enough, as Sharjah are simply running riot all over the league with 18 points out of 18 possible.
Despite the good pace and quality of play, there was one unpleasant event took place between Al-Nasr and the UAE national team striker, the Argentine Sebastian Tagliabué, who exchanged words with Sharjah’s Brazilian striker, Welliton. It is still unsure what Tagliabué exactly told him, but Welliton was in tears.
When Coronado scored the second goal, the players celebrated with the famous ‘monkey’ gesture.
After the match Welliton himself took the incident to Instagram:
🎙| ويلتون سواريز عن خلافه مع تيجالي:
— سدّد (@UAEkick) November 20, 2020
"لقد نعتني بالقرد، رغم هذا حافظت على احترافيتي في الملعب" pic.twitter.com/G7qQwHue3w
Thumbnail photo via Al-Jazira’s official Twitter account.
The international break did good things to few clubs in the UAE, especially Al-Jazira Abu Dhabi, who looked fresh and powerful; Sharjah is still perfect, despite an allegedly racist incident taking place in their match against Al-Nasr.
The Arabian Gulf League fifth matchday has emphasized the current trend in the UAE perfectly: Sharjah and Al-Nasr are playing in fourth gear, while the rest of the league are still in search to find their form.
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