Al Jazira’s latest reboot elicited an immediate upturn as they held on to claim a 2-2 draw at Al Wasl.
Friday night’s game featured several firsts for the Arabian Gulf League’s most volatile club as new boss Henk ten Cate made his debut in the dugout, with the Dutchman handing immediate starts to newly-signed striker Kenwyne Jones and attacking midfielder Angel Lafita.
The six-place gap in the table between the clubs was reflected in much of the running – yet the Pride of Abu Dhabi will care little as a nightmare season saw a rare bright spot.
“I think I must be happy,” said Ten Cate. “This team can only play better and given time, believe me, we will. We took a point from a difficult away game against the fourth-placed team in the league.
“It could have been much better, but for the time being it is a good result. We gave away the goals quite easily, but on the other hand I saw some good stuff. Of course, we want to win the first game, but I knew it would be difficult against a good team with good players. But we did a good job.”
This was a frustrating night for Wasl, who were superior from the moment they overcame their early nerves. Coach Gabriel Calderon bemoaned the lost points.
He said: “We played a very good match, but I think we lost twopoints. However, we came back from losing situations twice, which showed we’re a great team.
“We controlled the match for 90 minutes, although unfortunately we couldn’t score again. We have a strong mentality for moving forward in the season.”
Brazil attacking midfielder Thiago Neves’ 21st-minute opener for the visitors came courtesy of a telling deflection from a free-kick, while youngster Sultan Al Shamsi’s fine effort to make it 2-1 required both smart feet and fortune as the hosts failed to clear a route-one ball.
In Hugo Viana, Wasl possessed by a distance the game’s supreme performer. In goalscorers Abdulla Kazim and Fabio De Lima, they also boast young talent of rich promise. They remain in the all-important fourth and final Asian qualification spot, their seven-point cushion to a potentially-resurgent Jazira key.
#henktencate praises “return of fighting spirit” to @AlJazira_uae ranks. Positive debut for Dutchman @Sport360 pic.twitter.com/DlSdmxdxD3
— Matt Monaghan (@mattmonaghan360) January 8, 2016
Ten Cate’s troops started with a freedom and purpose absent during Abel Braga’s miserable return. The decision to jettison the Brazilian who won everything domestically with them from 2008-11 in favour of the former Barcelona and Chelsea assistant seems wise on the early evidence.
Cardiff City loanee Jones forced a fine, low save from Wasl goalkeeper Rashid Ali on 11 minutes before Lafita – a buy this week from La Liga’s Getafe – repeated the scenario moments later.
Jazira were cranking up the pressure on high-flying opponents and a stroke of luck soon put them ahead. Clumsy centre-back Hassan Zahran first committed a needless foul, before his endless limbs deflected in Neves’ 30-yard dead ball.
The goal woke Wasl from their slumber and with momentum on their side they levelled on 58 minutes, as UAE Under-23 international Kazim came off the bench to nod in on the goal line after Caio Canedo met Viana’s corner.
There seemed only one winner from this point, but Jazira went ahead from nowhere on 67 minutes. A smash up the pitch saw Jones’ physical presence force a poor defensive header. UAE forward Ali Mabkhout in a new attacking-midfield role then instantly lobbed forward for Al Shamsi to convert from a tight angle after rounding Ali.
Ten Cate and his technical staff charged forward in joy, though this was to be short lived. Wasl would rightly have felt robbed if De Lima had not leaped superbly on 78 minutes to head home his ninth 2015- 16 AGL goal from Viana’s corner, as the superb centre midfielder claimed a seventh assist.
