Al Ain moved a step closer to securing the Adnoc Pro League title on Tuesday evening after beating Al Wasl 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at the Hazza bin Zayed stadium.
Al Wasl twice pulled level, first equalising through a Gilberto Oliveira penalty shortly before half-time after Kodjo Laba had given Al Ain the lead in the 29th minute, and again when Ali Saleh struck eight minutes from time to cancel out Caio Canedo's 61st-minute striker.
However, Laba grabbed his second at the death to earn all three points for Al Ain as the Garden City club moved seven points clear of second-placed Al Wahda with six games remaining.
“It was a crucial result that keeps us in a good position at this stage of the league,” Al Ain defender Al Ahbabi said. “We have enjoyed staying in front from the very outset but we know the league is far from over with six games to go. We have some tough games coming up but we are hopeful we can maintain our lead until the end.
“We had to work very hard to win the three points over tonight. It was a great win after Wasl came twice from behind to level the scores.”
Laba opened the scoring when he captialised on a poor clearance by Wasl goalkeeper Mohamed Ali, the ball falling into his path for a simple finish.
Oliveira then levelled from the spot after Jeferson Douglas’ effort hit Al Ain defender Bandar Al Ahbabi’s elbow.
Al Ain regained the lead just past the hour when Canedo knocked in Soufiane Rahimi’s cross from close range, but Wasl levelled the scores again through Saleh.
When it looked like the game was heading for a draw, Laba was on target with a header from a Cristian Guanca cross to seal Al Ain’s victory two minutes from time. It was the 20th goal of the league campaign for the Togolese striker, who looks on course to win this season's top scorer award.
Elsewhere, Khor Fakkan produced a strong second half to outclass Baniyas 4-2 at the Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi stadium.
Aylton Filipe put the hosts ahead in the sixth minute but it was Baniyas who went into the break leading 2-1 through goals from Gaston Suarez and Nicolas Gimenez.
Raphael Guimaraes levelled 10 minutes into the second half, but Filipe regained the lead with his second goal of the match and Abdalla Elrefaey struck 10 minutes from time to seal Khor Fakkan’s sixth league victory.
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court (4pm UAE/12pm GMT)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) v Heather Watson (GBR)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) v Karen Khachanov (RUS x30)
Andy Murray (GBR x1) v Fabio Fognini (ITA x28)
Court 1 (4pm UAE)
Steve Johnson (USA x26) v Marin Cilic (CRO x7)
Johanna Konta (GBR x6) v Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Naomi Osaka (JPN) v Venus Williams (USA x10)
Court 2 (2.30pm UAE)
Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Gilles Muller (LUX x16)
Peng Shuai (CHN) v Simona Halep (ROM x2)
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) v Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x12) v Sam Querrey (USA x24)
Court 3 (2.30pm UAE)
Kei Nishikori (JPN x9) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x18)
Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Elina Svitolina (UKR x4)
Court 12 (2.30pm UAE)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x8) v Ana Konjuh (CRO x27)
Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)
Court 18 (2.30pm UAE)
Caroline Garcia (FRA x21) v Madison Brengle (USA)
Benoit Paire (FRA) v Jerzy Janowicz (POL)
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
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The%20Sandman
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Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Singapore
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
