Otabek Shukurov struck twice as Sharjah cruised to a 3-1 home win over Khorfakkan in matchweek 23 of the ADNOC Pro League on Tuesday.
A cagey first half with chances few and far between ended goalless, but the game erupted into life after the restart.
During the second half, the hosts wasted no time in opening their account when a Khorfakkan defender failed to properly clear the ball and saw the ball fall to Ben Malango who sent a powerful header into the back of the net.
Five minutes before the hour-mark, Sharjah cemented their lead when Shukurov fired a shot from range goalwards, making it 2-0 for the hosts.
The Uzbek midfielder made it a brace in the 63rd minute when the ball touched defender Masoud Sulaiman's hand inside the box and it was ruled as a penalty kick for the hosts.
Shukurov stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to seal the victory for his side.
The visitors reduced the deficit in the dying embers, when Caique Jesus Da Silva picked up the ball on the right-wing, before beating Sharjah defender to curl a stunning right-footed effort into the far corner of the net.
The victory means Sharjah sit in second place with 48 points in the bag, whereas Khorfakkan remain in 11th place with 22 points.
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