Al Jazira's title ambitions are growing stronger with each passing game in the Arabian Gulf League, although a sombre mood hung over the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium during Tuesday's 2-0 win over Dibba as news filtered through of the death of the club's former manager Caio Junior in a tragic plane crash that also claimed another 74 lives.
The Associated Press reported that Caio Junior, 51, was one of 81 on board a chartered aircraft on its way to Medellin’s international airport in Colombia on Monday, along with players and staff of the Brazilian first division football team he managed, Chapecoense. Six survivors were pulled from the wreckage. Aviation authorities said the aircraft, a British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane operated by a Bolivian charter airline named Lamia, declared an emergency at 10pm on Monday local time due to an electrical failure.
Jazira observed a minute’s silence before kick off and displayed an image of the Brazilian, who managed the club to the 2012 President’s Cup, with a message in Arabic that read: “Our condolences to the family of the former Al Jazira coach Caio Junior and the victims of the crashed plane.”
• Report: Six survivors, 75 killed as plane carrying football team from Brazil crashes in Colombia
Jazira dominated their opponents for 90 minutes with Fares Juma netting almost identical headed goals either side of half time with Dibba goalkeeper Fahad Mohammed’s positioning questionable for both.
A goal looked imminent for Jazira after Ailton Almeida was unlucky with a close-range effort. The Brazilian’s screamer struck the inside of the far post and then cannoned off the other in the 16th minute.
Ali Mabkhout missed a golden opportunity to put the hosts ahead five minutes later from the penalty spot after Dibba’s South Korean defender Heo Jae-won was penalised for obstructing Saif Al Meqbaali. The Jazira striker’s feeble effort was saved by Mohammed and the Dibba keeper also did well to tip the ball over the bar off a header from Khalfan Mubarak.
Jazira’s pressure finally paid off on the half-hour Juma’s glancing header off a corner gave the home side the lead, although Dibba will feel their goalkeeper should really have done better with Juma’s effort beating him all too easily in the centre of his goal.
Mohammed got himself lost in a sea of bodies on 73 minutes at another Jazira corner allowing Juma an even simpler header to secure all three points and cut Al Wasl’s lead at the top down to two points.
Dibba ended with 10 players after the Moroccan Driss Fettouhi was given a straight red card for a foul on Jazira’s Korean midfielder Park Jong-woo in added time.
Another of Caio Junior's former clubs, Al Shabab, also paid their respects but were unable to give their former manager "the gift of a win" against Hatta as the match ended in a stalemate.
Obaid Hubaitha, team manager, described Caio Junior as “a lovely man, a real gentleman” who always put the team first.
“All of us at Shabab are very sad to hear of this tragic news. Our respect and sympathies go out to all the families of the victims at this sad time.”
The former Al Gharafa manager was in charge of the Dubai club from 2014 until May when he was replaced by the Dutchman Fred Rutten. During his two-year tenure, he guided the club to a Gulf Clubs Cup trophy in 2015.
“On a personal level, I dealt with him for two years, he was a lovely man and a real gentleman,” Hubaitha said. “Everyone at the club remembers him fondly. He always put the boys and the team first and he will be missed.”
Al Nasr trounced Kalba 5-1 with Burkina Faso winger Jonathan Pitropia twice on the score sheet.
The game was as good as over at half time with Nasr 3-0 up through Tariq Ahmed, Jires Kembo Ekoko and Pitroipa. Ciel, Kalba’s Brazilian forward, pulled one back after the break but the visitors hit back twice with Mohanad Abdulraheem Karrar and Pitroipa completing the rout.
RESULTS:
Monday
• Sharjah 4 Baniyas 1
• Al Wahda 0 Emirates 0
• Al Wasl 0 Al Ahli 0
Tuesday
• Hatta 0 Al Shabab 0
• Kalba 1 Al Nasr 5
• Al Jazira 2 Dibba 0
FIXTURE:
Wednesday
• Al Dhafra v Al Ain, 7.30pm
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