Abu Dhabi, UAE – Al Ain and Al Wahda played to a 2-2 draw in their match on Saturday evening at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, as part of the 13th round of the UAE Pro League.
The UAE derby was a thrilling and closely contested affair. Kodjo Laba and Omar Khribin were the stars of the match, with Laba scoring both of Al Ain’s goals in the 9th and 51st minutes, and Khribin netting both of Al Wahda’s goals in the 29th and 69th minutes.
نهاية الكلاسيكو المثير بالتعادل الإيجابي بين العين والوحدة بنتيجة 2-2 في دورينا ✨
شاهد الأهداف ⚽🎥#العين_الوحدة#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين pic.twitter.com/xllBvwculH
— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) January 17, 2026With this result, Al Ain increased their points tally to 31, maintaining their lead at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Al Wahda moved up to third place with 26 points.
Al Ain started the match with early attacking pressure, which culminated in scoring the first goal through Kodjo Laba in the ninth minute, taking advantage of Palacios’ pass.
Al Wahda tried to quickly get back into the game. They threatened Al Ain’s goal with a header from Christian Benteke in the 22nd minute, before Omar Khribin managed to equalize from a penalty kick in the 29th minute.
The two teams exchanged control during the remainder of the first half without any change in the score, ending in a positive draw (1-1).
As the second half began, Laba restored Al Ain’s lead with a powerful shot in the 51st minute. Then, Al Wahda player Fatura Ogbo was shown a straight red card in the 53rd minute.
Despite being outnumbered, Al Wahda managed to equalize again through Omar Khribin in the 69th minute. He scored with a powerful shot from inside the penalty area.
Al Wahda suffered another blow in the 75th minute when Facundo Daniel was sent off. They finished the match with nine men, while Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa made a brilliant save to deny Al Wahda a winning goal.
The final minutes saw continuous pressure from Al Ain, met with defensive resilience from Al Wahda, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
