Abu Dhabi, UAE – Al Ain defeated their host Bani Yas 3-2, in the match that brought them together at Bani Yas Stadium, as part of the conclusion of the 17th round of the UAE Pro League.
Al Ain increased their points tally to 41, maintaining their lead at the top of the table, ahead of Shabab Al Ahli, who also have 41 points, on head-to-head record. Meanwhile, Bani Yas remain at the bottom of the table with 11 points.
A balanced first half
The first half ended in a goalless draw, with Al Ain having a slight advantage in possession of 64%, but they were met with a well-organized defense from the home team.
Complete excitement in the second half
Bani Yas opened the scoring early in the 47th minute through Youssoufou Nketiah after a pass from Moanes Dabbur.
Al Ain responded quickly, with Kodjo Laba equalizing from a penalty in the 54th minute, before Adrian Schutte gave the visitors the lead minutes later.
Bani Yas returned to the match atmosphere by scoring the equalizer through Fawaz Awana in the 67th minute, igniting the confrontation between the two teams.
In the 81st minute, Bani Yas suffered a blow when one of their players was sent off, and Al Ain took advantage of the numerical disadvantage and scored the winning goal through substitute Al Hussein Rahimi in the 87th minute.
The crossbar almost gave Bani Yas an equalizer in the final moments, but the match ended with a valuable victory for Al Ain by three goals to two.
