Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Al Wasl began their 2026-2027 ADNOC Pro League campaign with a resounding victory, sweeping aside their guest United 5-1 in the match held at Zabeel Stadium as part of the first round of competitions.
Al Wasl needed only three minutes to open the scoring, after Renato Junior took advantage of a defensive error by United, and launched a quick attack before penetrating the penalty area and passing the ball to Pedro Malero, who shot it powerfully and the goalkeeper saved it, so it returned to Renato Junior who followed up and put it into the net.
United managed to get back into the game quickly, after Adel Wajdan equalized in the 17th minute, giving his team a morale boost before the end of the first half, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Al Wasl imposed a relative advantage in terms of possession during the first half of the match, as their possession rate reached 53.8% compared to 46.2% for United, while the latter had more shots on goal with a score of 4 compared to 3.
As the second half began, Al Wasl increased their attacking pressure in search of regaining the lead, which was achieved in the 63rd minute, after one of United’s players scored an own goal, restoring the advantage to the home team.
United tried to equalize again, and their coach Andrea Pirlo brought on three players at once, but Al Wasl exploited the spaces in the final minutes and imposed their control over the course of the match.
Sergio Pereira extended Al Wasl’s lead with a third goal in the 87th minute, before Ali Saleh added the fourth goal just two minutes later, exploiting his individual skill to penetrate United’s defense and successfully finish the attack.
Al Wasl were not satisfied with the four goals, as Sergio Pereira returned in the sixth minute of stoppage time and scored his second personal goal and the fifth for his team, after which the referee blew the final whistle, announcing the victory of “The Emperor” with five goals to one.
الوصل 5 – 1 يونايتد..
للمرة الأولى يسجّل الوصل خماسية في مباراته الافتتاحية بدوري المحترفين..
شاهد الأهداف ⚽📽️#دوري_أدنوك_للمحترفين pic.twitter.com/hWC7Cr7ptD
— ADSportsTV (@ADSportsTV) August 15, 2026With this strong start, Al Wasl earned its first three points in its journey in the ADNOC Pro League, while United began the season’s competitions with a heavy loss.
