We have to help ourselves and expect service from others

Al-Bataeh player, Abdulaziz Heikal, admitted the difficulty of his team’s position in the struggle to remain in the professional football league, following the 1-2 loss to Dibba in the confrontation that brought them together, yesterday evening, at Dibba Stadium, in the 24th round, in the presence of about 200 spectators.

Heikal said in statements after the end of the match: “We have to help ourselves first. We have two important matches ahead of us, and we must work to win them, in addition to waiting for a favor from the other teams by stopping Dibba.”

He added: “It was a six-point match, and our goal was to achieve victory, but we wasted many opportunities, which put us under pressure. On the other hand, our competitor made the best use of his opportunities and scored two goals that decided the match.”

Dibba had escaped from last place in the standings, after obtaining the three points, as it reached 20 points, advancing to 12th place, thus taking an important step away from the relegation positions. On the other hand, Al-Bataeh’s suffering doubled after the loss, dropping to last place with 19 points.

Dibba opened the scoring through Carlos Vinicius in the 58th minute, before Simon Cabral increased the lead with the second goal in the 71st minute, while Marwan Fahad reduced the deficit for the visitors in the 80th minute.

Al Dhafra presented twice

In another confrontation, Al Dhafra gave up its lead twice, falling into the trap of a 2-2 draw against its host, Bani Yas, in the match that was held at the latter’s stadium in the presence of about 2,000 spectators.

“Fares Al Dhafra” scored the fastest goal of the season through Karim Al-Barkawi after only 54 seconds, but Baniyas equalized through Youssef Nketeh in the 36th minute, and Al-Barkawi returned to give his team the lead again in the 56th minute, before substitute Naseem Al-Shazli snatched the equalizer for “Al-Samawi” in the 82nd minute.

With this result, Al Dhafra raised its score to 19 points, maintaining the penultimate position, while Bani Yas reached 26 points in ninth place, officially confirming its survival and exit from the relegation calculations.

In another match, a goalless draw decided the confrontation between Kalba and its guest, Khor Fakkan, at Kalba Stadium, in the presence of about 1,200 spectators. Kalba raised its score to 24 points in 11th place, while Khor Fakkan reached 26 points in eighth place, ensuring in turn officially remaining in the professional league.

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Al Jazira falls into a draw trap against Ajman

Al Jazira team entered a complex stage at a crucial time in the season, after failing to achieve victory for the second match in a row, with a 1-1 draw against its host Ajman at Rashid Bin Saeed Stadium, in the presence of about 2,000 spectators, after losing in the last round to Al Nassr 2-3.

“Abu Dhabi Pride”, which raised its score to 41 points, is now in danger of losing the third place that qualifies for external participation in the next season, in light of the increasing pressure from its direct followers, Al Wasl and Al Wahda, while Ajman raised its score to 28 points in seventh place.

The hosts opened the scoring through Victor Henrique in the 32nd minute, before Al Jazira equalized through Mohamed Elneny in stoppage time of the first half (45+5).