Today's Edition
Abu Dhabi (Aletihad)
Al Wasl had to rely on the backup power of substitutes Fabio de Lima and Nicolas Gimenez to put their Asian Champions League Elite division match against Al Shorta beyond doubt on Tuesday and raise hopes for a knockout stage berth.
Victory at Karbala International Stadium saw Al Wasl climb up to fourth in the standings on 10 points with Al Shorta staying in 11th place on two points. The result meant Al Hilal and Al Nassr joined fellow Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli Saudi in confirming their knockout stage spots.
A week after he blitzed through Qatar in UAE's 5-0 victory at the Nahyan Stadium, De Lima was pressed into service just after the hour mark by his club coach Milos Milojevic, along with Gimenez at the same time.
Al Shorta had equalised soon after the start of the second half and the manager decided to force the issue before it got ugly. De Lima responded within two minutes when he was called upon to convert a penalty.
The first sight on goal went the way of the home side in the 12th minute with Hasan Raed sending his powerful header over the bar from Ahmed Farhan's corner kick. A lapse in concentration two minutes later saw Al Wasl take the lead when Ahmed Basil spilled Ali Saleh's free-kick, with the ball eventually making its way to Jonatas Santos who curled it into the top corner.
Al Shorta tried to respond but had to wait until the 38th minute to test Al Wasl custodian Khaled Al Senani, Ameer Sabah with a swerving shot from 25 yards. The Iraqi side went close again in first half stoppage time through a clever flick from Mohanad Ali that sailed just a little wide.
Manager Ahmed Saleh sent on Fahad Youssef for the second half and within five minutes, the evergreen Syrian midfielder pulled Al Shorta level, blasting a stunning shot from distance that gave Al Senani no chance.
However, parity only lasted 14 minutes as Al Wasl restored their lead from the penalty spot after Ahmed Yahya handled the ball in the box with De Lima finding the next in the 64th minute. The second goal knocked the wind out of Al Shorta's sails with Gimenez adding to the score in stoppage time to secure their third win of the campaign.
Al Wasl have a home encounter next against Qatar's Al Rayyan next week while Al Shorta will meet Islamic Republic of Iran's Persepolis.
