9 points off the top of the league

Shabab Al-Ahly has 77% and does not score against Al Dhafra

Shabab Al-Ahly defender Walid Abbas collides with Brazilian striker Denelson Junior, Al Dhafra.

Photography: Osama Abu Ghanem

Shabab Al-Ahly received a new hit in the Arab Gulf League, after a 0-0 draw with Al-Dhafra yesterday, at Rashid Stadium in Dubai, in the ninth round matches, to raise "Dubai Knights" to 14 points, nine points behind leaders Sharjah, while raising Al Dhafra score to 12 points.

Shabab Al-Ahly's possession of the ball by 77% was not enough for the team to win over Al Dhafra, as the guest team played a big match, imposed the result of a tie, and got another important point, after it had tied in the last round with Al-Wehda.

Shabab Al-Ahly dominated the course of the game in the first 25 minutes by a large percentage, amounting to 74%, but without risk to goalkeeper Khaled Al-Senani, while Al Dhafra almost scored the first goal through Brazilian Denelson Junior in a wonderful way, when Walid Hussein made a mistake in passing the ball, Junior hit the ball from midfield, taking advantage of Majid Nasir's lead, but the ball crossed the crossbar (3).

Despite the control of the "Dubai Knights" in the midfield, but the most dangerous Al Dhafra appeared in the counter-attacks, thanks to the moves of the Dutchman Mikhail Rocheville and the Brazilian Denelson Jr., as the latter hit a missile ball, which was blocked by Majid Nasser, and it reached Rocheville, who played an easy cross in The hand of Shabab Al-Ahly goalkeeper (38), while Junior continued his brilliance, and hit a beautiful ball in the last minute of the first half, which passed by the post shortly.

As for the second half, Al-Ahly's youth performance improved in terms of building attacks, and Mohamed Jumaa Pele almost scored the first goal, when Cape Verdean player Hildon Ramos played a direct free kick, and Pele turned his head over the crossbar (48), then Hamdan Al-Kamali fired a tricky ball from outside The penalty area, Khaled Al-Senani took it to a corner kick (50), while the most dangerous opportunity for Shabab Al-Ahly was from a missile shot from Hamdan Al-Kamali from a distance, and Al-Senani confronted it, and it bounced off the crossbar before Al-Dhafra's defense dispersed it in front of Brazilian Igor Jesus (53).

The Spanish coach, Gerard Zaragoza, made three substitutions at once, with the Uzbek, Aziz Ganiyev, Ahmed Khalil and Said Ahmed, instead of Muhammad Jumaa Pele, Walid Hussein and Abdullah al-Naqbi, before the fourth substitution took place with the descent of the Brazilian Carlos Eduardo instead of Majid Hassan. His playing, through organized defense, contributed to the absence of danger to Al-Senani's goal.

The Dubai Knights pressed in the last five minutes, and Eduardo hit a powerful ball, which rebounded from the defense and went out to a corner kick (86), and Ahmed Khalil fired a direct free kick, which was saved by Khaled Al-Senani (88).

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