Al Jazira celebrate League triumph in Abu Dhabi

Dubai Clubs Al Nasr and Al Shabab won their respective matches on the final night of the UAE Pro League but it was in Abu Dhabi where Al Jazira celebrated their first ever League triumph in spectacular fashion. Al Nasr defeated Ittihad Kalba 2-1 to finish third and qualify for the AFC Champions League while Al Shabab’s 3-0 win over Al Ain will see them go through the qualifiers for the ACL berth. But it was at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium that Al Jazira displayed their championship prowess with a 4-0 lead at the break. Goals by Oliviera, Bare, Khaled Sabeel and Juma Abdullah in the first half left the large crowd fully satisfied with the newly-crowned champions. And during the break Cameroonian school teacher Jean Claude Manjan was the lucky fan who won the penalty shootout and drove away with the luxurious Ferrari Italia 458 valued at one million dirhams – making this the biggest ever give-away in the history of UAE football. The party was almost over after the break and with the fans leaving early, Al Jazira also eased down allowing Dubai to score twice to end up 4-2 winners. After one of the longest waits, Al Jazira finally lifted the UAE Pro League trophy while their manager Abel Braga signed off with the win before he leaves for Brazilian club Fluminense. In other matches, Sharjah nailed Diego Maradona’s club Al Wasl 2-1, the latter reduced to 10 men, while last season’s champions Al Wadha shared two goals with the demoted Al Dhafra. Baniyas also finished on a winning note with a 2-1 margin over Al Ahli to take second place behind Al Jazira. Later after an impressive prize distribution ceremony singers Hussain Al Jassmi, Lebanese megastar Haifa Wehbe, American super producer and entertainer Timbaland, and Eidha Al Menhali performed as the night skies were lit with fireworks to mark Al Jazira’s first ever League and President’s Cup winning season. From / gulfnews