There was double Dutch delight for Frank de Boer’s Al-Jazira and Al-Ain’s Alfred Schreuder, plus a losing debut for Spain legend Andres Iniesta at promoted Emirates Club, in a goal-laden 2023-24 ADNOC Pro League kick-off.
Friday’s opening night began with a bang. Record 14-time champions Al-Ain required Hussain Abbas to put into his own net when Baniyas were downed 3-2; star-studded Sharjah edged an epic 4-3 at Ittihad Kalba; 10-man title holders Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club ominously breezed past potential dark horses Ajman 3-0; and Pitso Mosimane’s hotly tipped Al-Wahda were surprisingly beaten 2-1 at home by expected strugglers Al-Bataeh.
Saturday’s matchweek one action witnessed timeless UAE icon Ali Mabkhout notch a decisive brace in Al-Jazira’s promising 3-1 victory at Al-Nasr; Brazilian striker Tiago Leonco’s penalty condemn returning Hatta to a 2-1 loss at Khor Fakkan; and Andres Iniesta come off the substitute’s bench to wide acclamation when Emirates were beaten 1-0 by Al-Wasl.
Here are Arab News’ top picks and a talking point from a memorable start.
Player of the week: Ali Mabkhout (Al-Jazira)
Mabkhout reached the mythical 210-goal mark in the UAE’s top flight — and 250 in all competitions — on an encouraging evening for himself and Al-Jazira.
Expectations were lifted a level over the summer when 2020-21 title winner Marcel Keizer’s discouraging end to a once-golden second spell at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium was followed by De Boer’s eye-catching arrival.
Mabkhout is key if the former Ajax, Internazionale, Crystal Palace, Atlanta United and Netherlands supremo is to also taste success in Abu Dhabi.
Last term’s 27-goal second-top scorer and Golden Ball recipient — for outstanding Emirati player — at the UAE Pro League Awards began with purpose.
The ball was glued to his foot for an adroit opener when he cut inside and made light work of lunging Nasr debutant Gustavo Alemao, before a trademark penalty kick doubled the visitors’ lead. Some start for the UAE national team and league’s all-time top scorer.
Jazira exuded further positivity because of Abdullah Ramadan’s return to full fitness, Brazil battler Fernando’s domination on debut, and ex-Major League Soccer All-Star Alejandro Pozuelo’s injury-time goal on his first appearance.
They now eagerly await Friday’s capital derby with neighbors Wahda who stumbled out of the starting blocks.
Goal of the week: Harib Abdalla (Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club)
It is vital the UAE’s best and brightest excel in an Asian Cup-disrupted season.
Central to any hopes of a third-successive semi-final run is Shabab Al-Ahli’s mercurial Harib Abdalla. Few youngsters in Middle Eastern football carry more hype than the 20-year-old winger who put South Korea to the sword in World Cup 2022 qualifying.
He only sporadically lived up to this reputation in his club’s title run, but began their defense with a strike of such quality and venom it will struggle to be bettered during the following 25 matchweeks.
Abdalla turned into a pocket of space on the right wing, 35 yards from goal. Rather than recycle possession against a deep-lying defense, his unalloyed confidence saw a snap shot rocket into the roof of the goal before helpless goalkeeper Mohamed Yousuf had any chance of setting himself.
It was a slice of the unexpected, propelling at ferocious speed. Few could have conjured such an effort, let alone perform it to searing perfection.
New club manager Marko Nikolic has a sublime talent on his hands. So, too, UAE incumbent Paulo Bento.
The continental stage is Abdalla’s to claim this winter.
Coach of the week: Mirel Radoi (Al-Bataeh)
Eyebrows were raised when former Romania tactician — and multiple trophy winner as a player for Al-Ain — Mirel Radoi landed at Bataeh this summer.
The 42-year-old’s impressive hire represented another landmark moment in an ambitious club’s rapid ascent, from being formed in 2012 to making the top flight within a decade.
Last season, the narrowest of margins kept them there for 2023-24, but it looks like Radoi may engineer a more comfortable second campaign.
Grit was needed in abundance to win at Wahda. The side from Sharjah lost the shot count 23-5 and enjoyed just 40 percent possession.
Anatole Abang and Alvaro de Oliveira’s goals, however, proved enough at a stunned Al Nahyan Stadium. They secured just a second league win in 17 outings.
With former Shanghai Port playmaker Paulinho being patiently introduced to the XI, 2015 AFC Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil making his way back to match fitness, and Cameroon defensive midfielder Petrus Boumal growing in influence, they can now look ahead to stern upcoming tests against Ittihad Kalba and Shabab Al-Ahli.
ADNOC Pro League makes its voice heard
This weekend’s discourse around the Middle East centered on Neymar’s suitably grandiose unveiling at an ecstatic Al-Hilal and the continued struggles of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
Roshn Saudi League’s remarkable spending spree has garnered unprecedented global attention. Yet, a first matchweek full of promise demonstrated how ADNOC Pro League also remains worthy of headlines and social media views.
Iniesta’s 22-minute cameo was the first time a bona fide global megastar had taken part since David Trezeguet’s brief stay at Baniyas in 2011, plus Diego Maradona’s stint in charge of Wasl during the same season. It is intriguing to wonder if we may see any contemporaries land in the months ahead.
A tally of 26 goals from seven matches was also the most since 2020-21’s opening.
Kalba’s trio of world-class strikes in defeat to Sharjah, Al-Ain’s resolve in victory versus Baniyas, and Bataeh’s upset at Wahda showcased substantial depth.
Huge strides were made last term, off the pitch and on it. An upwardly mobile competition continues, seemingly, to take further steps forward.
