Sharjah FC pump five past Khor Fakkan, Al Jazira edge out Hatta in intense title race | Goal.com

Sharjah FC 5-1 Khorfakkan

Sharjah FC returned to winning ways in style after five matches as they outclassed Khorfakkan 5-1 at the Sharjah Stadium on matchday 20 in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL). 

Riding on a poker by Igor Conrado the hosts registered a thumping victory to climb to the second spot with 40 points. 

They took only six minutes to break the deadlock when Conrado scored from a set-piece. In the 17th minute, he scored his second of the night after latching on to a measured through ball from Caio Lucas. 

The King kept piling on the pressure and Waleed Sirag put the ball into his own net to hand Sharjah a comfortable 3-0 lead. With just two minutes to go from halftime, Conrado completed his hattrick when he scored from 12 yards. 

The second half started on a more even keel and the visitors pulled one back through Ramos Lopes. But Conrado scored his fourth in the 83rd minute to pile further misery on 11th-placed Khor Fakkan. 

Al Jazira 1-0 Hatta

On the other hand, Al Jazira continued with their rich vein of form as they edged out Hatta 1-0 courtesy of a penalty from Ali Mabkhout at the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium. 

In the second half, Hatta threw caution to the wind and conjured some scoring chances but Jazira’s keeper Ali Khasief stood strong to keep the scoreline unchanged. With this win, they take another step to the tile as they are now four points ahead of Sharjah with two matches to go. 

Shabab Al Ahli 1-1 Ajman

Meanwhile, Shabab Al Ahli was held to a 1-1 draw by Ajman at the Rashid bin Saeed Stadium. 

Al Ahli could have sealed the three points if Jaloliddin Masharipov had not missed from the spot in the 39th minute. Ajman made them pay heavily for the mistake as they put themselves ahead two minutes later when Bubacarr Trawally found the net. However, the Uzbek footballer made amends for his earlier miss as he scored the equaliser to earn a point for his team. 

Fujairah 1-1 Al Wasl

In the final match of the evening, Fujairah drew 1-1 with Al Wasl at the Fujairah Stadium. 

Both teams started the match with attacking intent and were eager to draw first blood. However, it was Mohamed Firas Ben Larbi of Fujairah who scored the first of the night in the 39th minute. In the second half, Al Wasl threw all their resources in search of the equaliser but had to wait till the dying moments of the match for Fabio Lima to convert a penalty to restore parity in the match. 

Wasl have now drawn four successive games and currently stand on 30 points in 20 matches. While Fujairah continue to be in the relegation zone with just 11 points from an equal number of matches.