The sides will resume their face off in the return leg on April 15, with Sharjah hoping that home advantage will see them through to the final.
Sharjah got off to a shaky start, failing to clear Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi’s cross into the box in the second minute with the ball falling nicely for Sabiri, who struck a cracking shot past keeper Adel Al Hosani.
Al Taawoun almost doubled their tally two minutes later when Majed Hassan spilled Shaheen Abdalla’s pass into the path of Al Kuwaykib, who sent his shot just over the bar.
Sharjah wasted a great chance in the 19th minute when Caio Lucas’ cutback from the edge of the area was met by a lunging Guilherme Biro, but he couldn’t keep his shot on target.
The UAE side had a chance again in the 31st minute but Luanzinho angled his header over the bar and were then let off the hook five minutes later when Al Taawoun’s Musa Barrow sent his curling effort just wide.
Desperate to get Sharjah back in the game, Cosmin Olaroiu sent on Ousmane Camara and Adel Taarabt in place of Firas Ben Arbi and Luanzinho and it almost paid off when Khaled Ebraheim released Taarabt a minute into the restart, only to be foiled by onrushing Al Taawoun keeper Abdulquddus Atiah.
Sharjah were left frustrated in the 52nd minute when Camara thought he had been fouled after receiving Taarabt’s clever through ball, with the referee pointing to the spot, only for the decision to be rescinded by VAR.
Al Taawoun were denied a second goal in the 72nd minute after Barrow broke free on the counter-attack, setting Abdulfattah Adam through on goal only for the forward to smash his shot against the right post as the side from Saudi Arabia had to be satisfied with a slim lead to take into the return leg.
