Dubai, UAE – A thrilling 1-1 draw settled the Round 3 clash of the ADNOC Pro League between Al Wasl and visitors Al Ain on Saturday evening at Zabeel Stadium.
Al Wasl took the lead early in the second half through Brazilian star Serginho in the 47th minute. Then, Laba Kodjo leveled the score for Al Ain in the 58th. With this result, Al Wasl raised their tally to 4 points in eighth place. Meanwhile, Al Ain reached 7 points to remain in second.
The match saw end-to-end action. Palacios came close to opening the scoring for Al Ain in the 3rd minute with a powerful strike that narrowly missed the post. Al Wasl replied in the 33rd minute with a dangerous chance that was denied by Khalid Essa. In stoppage time of the first half, goalkeeper Mohammed Ali produced a stunning save to deny Palacios once again.
Just two minutes into the second half, Serginho netted the opener for Al Wasl with a fine finish. However, Kodjo brought Al Ain back with a well-taken strike inside the box.
Al Wasl thought they had regained the lead in the 65th minute through Matheus Saldanha’s header, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Moments later, Al Ain’s Traoré fired a rocket from outside the area in the 71st minute. Yet, Mohammed Ali held firm.
The battle remained fierce until the final whistle, as both sides settled for a point apiece in a captivating encounter.
