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Shabab rally past Sharjah; Kalba stun Dibba as Hatta hold Wahda

Dubai - Arabian Gulf League gets underway in grand fashion

Kalba, newcomers to UAE premier football, continued to make good impression of themselves on the national scene when they edged Dibba 1-0 on Friday, in Round 1 of the Arabian Gulf League at Fujairah Stadium.
Later in the evening, Al Shabab rallied to beat Sharjah 2-1. Jamal Maroof's first-half goal put the visitors ahead before a Mohammed Marzooq equaliser and Luvannor's spot kick conversion saw Shabab grab all three points at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium.
Kalba's return to top flight football got off to the best possible start by collecting all three points from their first fixture, putting them temporarily top of the table, whilst Dibba will be disappointed to start the season with a home loss.
Dibba had the best opening as early as in the fifth minute when Danilo Cirino fired a cross-goal shot narrowly wide of the far post. After the break Kalba with a better organised halfline went ahead in the 68th minute when Mihai Alexandru found the net, unintentionally though.
Alexandru's cross into the danger area slipped past the defence and the goalkeeper when everyone including the Kalba forwards missed the line completely (1-0).
Elsewhere, Hatta Club coach Waleed Obaid could not have had a better start when his side fought off giants Al Wahda to snatch a goalless draw at home. The Tornadoes won promotion to the Arabian Gulf League for the first time in their 35-year history after winning the UAE second-tier title last season and they did not disappoint their supporters in their post Eid celebrations last night.
Starting off with a makeshift lineup in a bid to reinforce the flanks where Hatta seemed lacking in precision especially while attacking in their season opening losses to Al Dhafra and Al Wasl, Obaid's tactics seemed to pay off.
Hatta with a complete overhaul of foreign players during the summer got the services in full from their Romanian import lineup on Friday. Adrian Ropotan and his compatriot in midfield - Mihai Radout - worked tirelessly throughout with assists and timely interceptions.
Jordanian medio Yaseen Al Bakhit and Burkina Faso striker Issiaka Quedraogo (substitute) all combined well to keep the Wahda defence busy. Adding more thrust up front for Hatta was Emirati Mohammad Malallah.
Al Wahda's Hungarian midfielder Balazs Dzsudzsak after joining the Abu Dhabi outfit after doing national duty for Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers in Europe did well for Wahda on his debut.