Traditional power overcomes the shock of beginnings.. and Al Wasl is the only exception

The big teams nominated to compete for the ADNOC Professional League title succeeded in overcoming the shock of the beginning and obtaining the three points in the first round of the competition that was held over the past two days, Friday and Saturday. Al Wasl, the title holder, was the only exception after falling into the trap of a draw. The round also showed the open scoring appetite of the teams, which indicates an attacking season. Eight remarkable scenes emerged during the first round, which witnessed Al Wahda’s victory over Ajman (1-0), Al Nasr’s victory over Al Orouba (5-1), Bani Yas’ victory over Al Jazira (2-0), Shabab Al Ahli’s victory over Al Bataeh (2-1), Al Ain’s victory over Khor Fakkan (5-1), Sharjah’s victory over Dibba Al Hisn (4-1), and Al Wasl’s draw with Kalba (2-2).

Open appetite for goals

The clubs combined scored 27 goals, surpassing the 26 goals scored in the opening round of the previous season, and thus the fourth highest number of goals in the opening round since the implementation of professionalism, which indicates that the teams’ appetite is open on the offensive level, noting that the record goes back to the 2018-2019 edition, during which the teams scored 31 goals, followed by the 2020-2021 edition with 29 goals, then the 2015-2016 season with 28 goals scored.

The island without teeth

Al Jazira players shot 11 balls, 4 of which were on goal, but they were not enough to reach Bani Yas’ net, as a result of which the team came out losing (0-2) for the first time against the same opponent since the 2018-2019 season. It is also the first time it has lost in the opening round since 2015-2016. The match showed that the team missed the services of its historical scorer Ali Mabkhout, who moved to the ranks of Al Nasr, leaving Al Jazira toothless.

defeatist spirit

Al-Orouba team played its match against Al-Nasr with the mentality of a first division team instead of being a strong opponent for “Al-Ameed”, similar to the League Cup match that brought them together last week, as it appeared with a defeatist spirit and spaced lines that made the task of the guests easier, especially since the series of decline began early, specifically since the early goal that their net received in the eighth minute.

Al Bataeh is convincing despite the loss

Despite the loss to Shabab Al Ahli by a fatal goal that Al Bataeh conceded in the second minute of stoppage time, the team gave a convincing performance against one of the teams nominated to win the title, as it played the match in an open manner without fearing the opponent and exchanged attacks with him with great competitiveness and reached the net first with a goal from a tactical set, but it lacked the focus factor in the last moments.

Dramatic win

Luck was dramatically on Al Wahda’s side against their guest Ajman, as all their offensive attempts failed. However, what Al Wahda players failed to achieve came at the feet of their opponents, with Ajman defender Meles Kosanovic scoring an own goal. The luck did not stop there, as Al-Burtuqali striker Walid Azaro missed a penalty kick in the 90+6 minute, which would have been enough for the team to draw (1-1), but its loss gave the home team full points (Azaro missed three penalty kicks out of the last 5 kicks).

Connection…the end is the key

All eyes were on Al Wasl in the first round as the title holders to gauge their ability to retain the crown for another season, but the team suffered a major blow with a disappointing draw against Kalba (2-2), due to their loss of focus in the final minutes of the match, which saw their goal concede an equaliser in stoppage time, thus missing out on a very important victory.

Kodjo enters the 100 club

Al Ain striker Laba Kodjo received a huge morale boost after joining the 100 club after scoring a hat-trick against Khorfakkan. The goals came at an important time as the player was living in a “vortex of doubt”, especially since the results at the end of last season were better in his absence, specifically with the reliance on the “false striker” style, a role in which his teammate Sofiane Rahimi excelled.

Mabkhout misses goal festival

While Al-Nassr scored five goals during their victory over Al-Orouba, the competition’s all-time top scorer, Ali Mabkhout, was absent from the goal festival, due to the collective approach adopted by “Al-Ameed” under the leadership of their coach, Alfred Schroeder, who puts everyone at the service of the group, unlike Al-Jazira’s offensive approach, which was based on getting the ball to Mabkhout’s feet or head.