Al Ain maintained their six-point lead over Al Wahda at the top of the Adnoc Pro League after both teams secured victories on Friday.
The Garden City club beat Baniyas 2-0 at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium while Omar Khrbin's first-half strike was enough to secure all three points for Al Wahda in their game against Khor Fakkan at Al Nahyan Stadium.
Cristian Guanca and Soufian Rahimi got the goals in the second half for Al Ain to register their 12th league win in 16 league games to take their tally to 39 points.
“It was another good performance and another good result for us, and above all we won three very important points,” Al Ain manager Serhiy Rebrov said.
“We had a difficult first half but we scored an early goal and thereafter we had the game under control in the second period.
“Obviously we need to keep winning every game we play at this stage of the competition. We expect some hard games in the coming weeks and I would like to think the team can take this winning momentum forward.”
Rahimi set-up Guanca for the opening goal two minutes into the second half and the Moroccan winger fired in the second for his team to seal the game four minutes from time.
Khrbin struck for Wahda in the 34th minute with a superb strike. The Syria international curled in a brilliant effort into the top corner of Ahmed Mahmoud's goal to secure all three points for the home side.
In the late game, Sharjah were held to a 0-0 draw by Al Wasl, leaving them nine points off the top in third place.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
