Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium hosted the match between Al Dhafra and their guest Al Ain on Thursday, as part of the 18th round of the UAE Arabian Gulf League.
Al Dhafra secured a valuable and important victory over Al Ain with a score of 2-1. Al Dhafra's player Maketi Diop opened the scoring in the 34th minute and saved his team from a certain goal by clearing the ball off the goal line in the 37th minute. Al Dhafra's player Khalid Al Sanani and the post also denied a clear opportunity for Al Ain in the 38th minute.
Al Ain was awarded a penalty after their player Kayo was fouled inside the penalty area, and Laba Kodjo successfully converted it to equalize in the 49th minute. The referee later awarded a penalty to Al Dhafra after a foul by Shiotani, Al Ain's player, on forward Pedro Kondi, who took the kick himself but hit the crossbar in the 58th minute.
The referee then awarded a second penalty to Al Dhafra due to a strong challenge from Bandar Al Ahbabi, Al Ain's player, on Al Dhafra forward Aymen. Maketi Diop successfully converted this penalty in the 77th minute, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of his team.
With this result, Al Dhafra moves up to 20 points, remaining in the 10th position, while Al Ain stays at 30 points, temporarily holding the 4th position.
