Pitso Mosimane side Al Wahda suffers defeat against Shabab Al-Ahli in UAE Pro League
Pitso Mosimane’s Al Wahda on Friday suffered their second league defeat at the hands of Shabab Al-Ahli in the UAE Pro League.
Al Wahda lost 3-1 to Shabab, who are joint log leaders with Al-Ain after four games. Their opponents on Friday are the UAE defending champions and have maintained a 100 per cent record so far this season.
Mosimane’s charges conceded the first goal early in the game in the seventh minute. Israeli national Mu’nas Dabbur, formerly with Red Bull Salzburg, gave the lead to Shabab Al-Ahli.
Al Wahda talisman Omar Khribin, a Syrian national, pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 39th minute. But they could not hold onto the lead as Federico Cartabia struck two minutes before halftime.
Victor Renan got the third goal in the 66th minute to seal victory for Shabab. The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana mentor took over the UAE side at the start of this season.
They have played four games so far, winning two and losing two as he looks to guide Al Wahda to their first league title in over a decade.
The last time they tasted league glory was in the 2009/10 season and they are eager to get back to the top.
On Friday, Mosimane’s side enjoyed much of the possession throughout the encounter. However, that was not enough to win him the encounter.
The result put an end to a run of four consecutive wins in all competitions. Two of their wins were in the league with the other two coming in the Emirates Cup.
They have a week to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Baniyas next Friday. Baniyas have had an indifferent start to the season, winning one game, losing twice and drawing once.
Al Wahda will look to quickly get back to winning ways when they face them. Thereafter, they have a lengthy three-week break after which they lock horns with All Ittihad Kalba on Friday 27 October.
