UAE Pro League review: Leaders Sharjah stumble at home to rising Al-Wahda

Al-Wahda and Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club earned epic victories in heavyweight clashes, and a modern classic was played out when Ittihad Kalba hosted sorry Al-Nasr, in the ADNOC Pro League’s unforgettable matchweek 8.

The final moments of Sunday’s last match proved decisive when Al-Wahda’s substitute Joao Pedro headed the visitors to a memorable 1-0 victory at Sharjah Stadium.

Uzbekistan midfielder Azizjon Ganiev struck from distance, meanwhile, on Saturday when the 10-men of Shabab Al-Ahli inflicted a 2-1 defeat on inconsistent title holders Al-Ain.

A rollercoaster contest on the east coast witnessed Kalba go ahead after three minutes, trail 3-1 to Thorsten Fink’s 12th-placed Nasr up to the 71st minute and eventually prevail 5-3. Morocco star Achraf Bencharki produced his opening Al-Jazira goals at the eighth attempt to earn a valuable 2-0 triumph against Al-Wasl and arrest their four-match winless run.

Baniyas thumped sinking Al-Dhafra 5-0, UAE veteran Ismail Al-Hammadi pounced in the 95th minute to see Khor Fakkan edge promoted Dibba Al-Fujairah 1-0, and Tunisia schemer Firas Ben Larbi’s penalty moved on-song Ajman up to sixth with a 2-1 win against Al-Bataeh.

Here are Arab News’ top picks and talking points from the latest action.

Player of the week — Daniel Bessa (Ittihad Kalba)

Daniel Bessa was a picture of calm amid unalloyed chaos at Ittihad Kalba Stadium.

An undulating contest, and the division’s highest-scoring fixture since November 2020, was twisted back in the hosts’ favor courtesy of their summer recruit from Hellas Verona’s stellar display.

The measured 29-year-old Brazilian-Italian sparked this comeback with an ice-cold, slotted second for Kalba with 19 minutes of regular time remaining. His