The top spot in the ADNOC Professional Football League is crowded at the end of the second round of the tournament, with four clubs sharing the lead with six points (full mark), but separated by goal difference, as Al Nasr sits in first place with goal difference (+7 goals), Sharjah is second (+4), Shabab Al Ahli is third (+2), and Al Wahda is fourth (+2), which indicates that the struggle will be strong in the upcoming rounds. On the other hand, four clubs also share the last place with no points, which makes the international break that the competition entered an opportunity to rearrange the cards.
Eight remarkable scenes emerged in the second round, which concluded the day before yesterday.
Historical numbers for the top four
The top clubs, Al Nasr, Sharjah, Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wahda, achieved their second consecutive victory in the competition, which ensured that they remained at the top. For the “Dean”, it is the first time that they have won in the first two rounds in nine seasons, specifically since the 2015-2016 season. It is also the first time for Al Wahda to taste victory in the first two rounds since the 2018-2019 season, while it is the fifth time in the history of Sharjah’s participation, while it is the second time in a row for Shabab Al Ahli.
Al Bataeh crowns its performance with a point
Al Bataeh team compensated for its strong performance in the first round, which it lost with difficulty at the hands of Shabab Al Ahli, by obtaining a valuable point in the match against Al Ain. Its players presented a strong performance the day before yesterday, overcame the circumstances of the match, and turned their 0-3 loss into a 3-3 draw, thus confirming that they will not be an easy target for the clubs nominated to win the title.
Ajman football is beautiful, but it lacks victories
The great technical performance presented by Ajman, which is praised by analysts and fans, will not be enough for the team at the end of the season if “Al-Burkan” does not win the matches and collect the largest possible number of points. For the second match in a row, “Al-Burqali” is the better side, but it does not win, whether against Al-Wahda or against Shabab Al-Ahli. In the match the day before yesterday against Shabab Al-Ahli, its players possessed the ball by 60.3%, and they were the most shooting (14 shots, 10 of which were on goal), but in the end they came out with a 1-2 loss.
Laxity deprives Al Ain of a historical number
Al Ain’s three goals in the first 16 minutes of their match against Al Bataeh was the first since professionalism was implemented, but the way things turned out, due to the state of laxity that dominated the “Boss”, was the reason for depriving them of the historic record and leaving with the three points. The 3-3 draw against Al Bataeh caused a state of discontent among Al Ain fans, who were surprised by the players’ decline in performance after the three goals, and the inability of coach Hernan Crespo to manage the situation.
The brilliance of Al-Muqbali
Shabab Al Ahli reserve goalkeeper Hamad Al Muqbali did not expect to get the chance to participate, less than three weeks after joining the team, nor did he expect to give an ideal performance when he participated as a substitute in the Ajman match, after goalkeeper Hassan Hamza was injured before the end of the first half, as he saved six balls that were a direct reason for his team’s 2-1 victory, but that is no wonder, especially since Al Muqbali comes from Fujairah, the emirate known for producing the best goalkeepers.
In Arabic it glows
Sharjah team player, Tunisian international Firas Belarbi, benefited from the “King’s” reliance on the “false striker” style instead of the “traditional” one, and led the team to a valuable victory at the expense of Kalba by scoring the only goal of the match. Sharjah coach Olario Cosmin relied on the clear striker in the attack with the presence of Moussa Marega and Sebastian Tagliabue, which limited the capabilities of Tunisian Firas Belarbi.
Unity leans towards “pragmatism”
Al Wahda’s performance may not impress its fans who are eager to relive the good old days when positive results were combined with a high level, but this season, under the leadership of its Norwegian coach Ronnie Deila, “Al Annabi” chose to be a practical “pragmatic” team that achieves the most important thing, which is the three points, regardless of the performance (1-0 against Ajman and 1-0 against Khorfakkan), which led “The Owners of Happiness” to win the first two rounds for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.
“spiral of doubt”
The tournament has entered a 20-day break to allow the national team to play the first two rounds of the decisive qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. This period will be sufficient for many clubs, most notably Ajman, Dibba Al-Hisn, Khorfakkan, and Al-Orouba, to put their cards in order, as they have not collected any points since the beginning of the season, which requires them to take advantage of the break to restore balance before entering a “spiral of doubt.”
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