Al Wasl came from behind to secure a 2–1 victory over their hosts Khorfakkan in the third round of the preliminary stage of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup.
Al Wasl head coach Rui Vitória’s starting lineup for the match was as follows: Dinko Horkas in goal; Rodrigo Oliveira, Soufiane Bouftini, Adryelson Silva and Abdelrahman Saleh in defence. The midfield consisted of Brahian Palacios, Yahya Nader, Ridwan Popoola and Leandro Spadacio, while Renato Junior and Mehdi Taremi led the attack.
Al Wasl started the match strongly and applied attacking pressure in search of the opening goal. Their first attacking attempt came in the 10th minute through Renato Junior, who received a cross from Rodrigo Oliveira inside Khorfakkan’s penalty area, but the Khorfakkan defence cleared the ball.
The “Emperor” continued to press and create attacking opportunities. Mehdi Taremi came close to opening the scoring for Al Wasl in the 23rd minute with a direct free kick, but Khorfakkan goalkeeper Ahmed Hamdan cleared the ball.
Al Wasl continued to threaten Khorfakkan’s goal. Three minutes later, Taremi tried again with a powerful shot that was saved by the Khorfakkan goalkeeper. The player then attempted a beautiful bicycle kick in the 32nd minute that came close to finding the net, but he was unable to score.
Khorfakkan adopted a defensive approach and retreated into its own half after its player Ilyass Lagrimi was sent off in the 32nd minute, as the team faced sustained attacking pressure from Al Wasl, whose numerous attempts failed to produce a goal.
In the second half, Al Wasl head coach Rui Vitória made several substitutions. Cameron Puertas came on in place of Ridwan Popoola, while Serginho, Hugo Neto and Matheus Saldanha replaced Brahian Palacios, Abdelrahman Saleh and Renato Júnior. Yahia Nader also left the pitch and was replaced by Siaka Sidibe.
Against the run of play, Khorfakkan took the lead in the 55th minute through Rilwanu Sarki. Al Wasl responded by continuing to press and launch attacks, eventually equalising in the 77th minute through Mehdi Taremi, who converted a precise pass from Cameron Puertas with a beautiful header into the net.
The “Emperor” continued searching for a winning goal, which finally arrived in the 94th minute through Sofiane Bouftini. The goal came after Matheus Saldanha’s header struck the post and rebounded into Bouftini’s path. He struck the ball powerfully into the net, sealing Al Wasl’s victory.