Match Recap
Al Ain defended its top spot with a 2-1 away win at Dhafra on Thursday evening, at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium, in the 12th round of the ADNOC Pro League.
Hussein Rahimi, Al Ain's star, opened the scoring in the seventh minute, but the goal was ruled offside.
Dhafra took the lead from a 16th-minute penalty converted by Brazilian Jobson Santos, Panenka-style.
Al Ain equalized through Togolese forward Laba Kodjo in the 60th minute.
In the 82nd minute, Al Ain sealed the victory with a precise late touch from Moroccan Nasim Shadli.
Al Ain's tally rose to 30 points atop the league, while Dhafra stayed on 15 in eighth place.
In the same round, Al Jazira defeated Ajman 3-0 at home, while Dibba Al-Fujairah beat Khourfakan 1-0.
Note: The article includes a Twitter embed for reactions from fans, but we’re focusing on the match narrative here.
Punchline 1: If football were a Netflix series, Nasim Shadli's late winner would be the season finale—no cliffhanger, just a smile.
Punchline 2: They say the best defense is a good offense; tonight the attackers brought the punchline and the points.
