Sharjah reached the semifinals of the UAE Pro League Cup (Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup) by defeating Against its guest Al-Wahda 4-2 in the return match today, Sunday, compensating for its 0-1 defeat in the first leg.
The match started off excitingly, as the VAR technology denied the Tunisian Firas Belaaloui a place in the history of the Professional Cup after he scored the fastest goal of the tournament just 36 seconds in, following up on a rebound from the Al-Wahda goalkeeper and putting it in the net. However, the “King’s” smile was short-lived as Luan Pereira managed to score the opening goal, following up on a corner taken by Firas Belaaloui and heading it into the top of the net in the 4th minute. The Sharjah goalkeeper played a heroic role when he saved an Otayli one-on-one after a cross that broke through Sharjah’s defense, preserving his team’s lead in the first half. In the second half, Sharjah managed to double the score by scoring the second goal due to a mistake by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Shamsi and Alaaeddine Zouheir, which Kayo Lucas took advantage of and easily placed the ball into the net in the 52nd minute.
Hope returned to Al Wahda, who were awarded a penalty after Shaheen Abdulrahman fouled Arkinov. Omar Khribin stepped up and scored it in a “Panenka” style in the 59th minute. Al Sharjah then extended their lead again by scoring the third goal from an “own goal” when Alaa Eddin Zahir attempted to clear the ball from inside the box but ended up putting it in a difficult position that neither Ahmed Noorulla nor the goalkeeper could clear in the 70th minute. Al Sharjah received another gift from Al Wahda’s defense, which allowed Kaio Lucas to pass and shoot from a difficult angle, adding his second personal goal and his team’s fourth in the 77th minute.
