The headline fixture in round 21 of the UAE ADNOC Pro League saw second place Al Ahli head to Al Ain.
Find out the winners and losers of matchday 21 as we review the standings of the UAE Pro League.
Al Ain 1:2 Shabab Al Ahli
In an intense game played at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday night, Shabab Al Ahli defeated Al Ain 2-1 after a fierce battle.
Luka Milivojevic and Igor Jesus’ goals were enough for Shabab Al Ahli, while Mohamed Abbas’ goal was Al Ain’s only reply.
Shabab Al Ahli played aggressively at the beginning of the game and soon took the lead. They made the breakthrough in the 31st minute when Milivojevic converted a penalty.
Al Ain stepped up their attacking play and, with a goal from Mohamed Abbas in the 50th minute, managed to tie the score.
Their comeback didn’t last for long.
Igor Jesus took advantage of a well timed assist to score a goal in the 61st minute to give Shabab Al Ahli the lead again.
The away team held out for a monumental win. They have secured second place for the time being with a six point cushion over Al Ain in third.
Al Sharjah 2:2 Al Bataeh
A 100th minute penalty for Al Bataeh was enougn to salvage a draw.
In a game littered with events, Al Sharjah thought they had won it in the 81st minute when Suroor scored to make it 2-1.
However, Al Bataeh’s Alvaro de Oliveira received a red card in the 97th minute of injury time.
Then Khalil cooly slotted a penlaty away to make the score 2:2 before the final whistle blew.
Al Wasl 2:2 Al Jazira
The runaway leaders dropped points for only the fourth time this season.
Al Wasl remain unbeaten, but conceeded a 79th minute equaliser from Bruno to stop them from winning another.
The draw for Al Jazira means they comfortably stay mid-table.
Bani Yas 4:2 Hatta
Hatta are confined to relegation this season.
This was thier 16th loss of the season. They’ve only won once all campaign.
Seferi scored either side of half-time to set Bani Yas on their way.
Hatta fought back to level, but two goals in four minutes from Bani Yas put the game beyond all doubt.
Al Nasr 2:2 Ittihad Kalba
Al Nasr remain in the hunt for third, despite dropping points to Ittihad.
Ittihad scored in the 10th and 13th minute to secure an early 2-0 lead.
However, former Southampton forward, Manolo Gabbiadini scored two goals to rescue a point for Al Nasr.
Emirates 0:0 Al-Wahda
Like Hatta, Emirates Club look destined for relegation.
Neither team looked like scoring in this encounter and Emirates are now ten points from safety.
Ajman 3:0 Khorfakkan
Initially a 2:2 tied score, this match was awarded as a 3:0 victory to Ajman.
Round 21 Results
Round 21 Standings
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