Ajman continued their perfect start to the ADIB Cup campaign on Friday, securing a hard-fought 3-2 comeback victory against Al Ain at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. This result marks their second consecutive win, following an opening 3-2 triumph over Sharjah.
Al Ain initially took control of the match in the 23rd minute when Yahya Bin Khaliq converted a precise cross from Matias Palacios with a powerful header. However, Ajman equalized just 10 minutes later through a spectacular long-range strike from Ismail Moumene that left the goalkeeper with no chance. Al Ain made the brighter start and took the lead after 23 minutes through Yahya Bin Khaliq. Restoring parity and shifting the momentum of the contest, ismail Moumene unleashed a thunderous strike from a distance that gave the goalkeeper no chance.
The visitors seized momentum early in the second half. Five minutes after the restart, Lourency Do capitalized on a rebound from a Jobson Santos effort to put Ajman in front. Only a minute later, the lead grew to 3-1 as Waleed Azaro set up Saad El Hadani, who deftly beat the offside trap to slot the ball into the net. But Lourency Do reacted quickest to the loose ball and poked home the rebound to put Ajman 2-1 ahead, jobson Santos’ effort was parried by Al Ain goalkeeper. Guiding a superb low effort into the far corner beyond the helpless goalkeeper, the winger did the rest.
Although Houssien Rahimi narrowed the gap with an unstoppable finish four minutes before the end of regulation time, Ajman successfully defended their lead. Al Ain, now facing their second straight loss, will look for their first win of the campaign against Kalba on Oct. 8. Meanwhile, Ajman prepares to face Bani Yas on Oct. 9, aiming for a third consecutive victory. Al Ain pushed forward in search of a response and were rewarded four minutes from time.
In the day’s other fixture, Al Wasl produced a clinical second-half display to defeat Kalba 4-0 at Zabeel Stadium. This performance builds on their own 3-2 opening-round win against Al Ain, leaving them with two victories from two matches. While Al Wasl continued to exploit the spaces opening up behind their defensive line, kalba struggled to deal with the hosts’ pace in transition.
After a scoreless opening half, Al Wasl found their rhythm immediately after the break. In the 49th minute, a swift counterattack saw Sergio Pereira find Renato Junior, who coolly broke the deadlock. Only three minutes later, Siaka Sidibe created space outside the box before threading a pass to Brahian Palacios, who guided a low shot into the corner to double the advantage. Particularly during a devastating spell immediately after half-time when two goals in quick succession turned the match firmly in their favour, the visitors’ clinical finishing proved decisive.
Al Wasl maintained their pressure as the match entered its closing stages. In the 83rd minute, Leandro Spadacio Leite controlled the ball inside the area and drilled a low strike into the bottom-left corner to make it 3-0. The rout was completed in the 89th minute when Matheus Saldanha timed his run to perfection, latching onto a pass from Pereira to finalize the 4-0 scoreline.
