El Houssien Rahimi delivered at the death as Al Ain edged Bani Yas 3-2 in a gripping five-goal contest at Bani Yas Stadium.
After a cagey first half that produced no goals but plenty of tension, the match exploded into life after the break with five goals, a red card and relentless momentum swings defining a chaotic second 45 minutes.
Bani Yas struck first just two minutes into the restart. Munas Dabbur carved open the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, and Youssoufou Niakate timed his run to perfection before sliding a composed finish into the bottom corner.
Al Ain responded swiftly. Laba Kodjo showed nerves of steel from the penalty spot in the 54th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to restore parity.
The lead changed hands again before the hour mark. Soufian Rahimi delivered an inviting cross into the area, and Adrian Șut kept his composure amid the congestion to guide a controlled finish and put Al Ain back in front.
But the drama was far from over. Fawaz Awana Almesabi rose superbly to meet Suhail Ahmed Alnoobi’s cross, powering in a header to make it 2-2 and set up a grandstand finish.
Bani Yas’ task grew even tougher in the 81st minute when Joao Victor was shown a red card, tilting the momentum decisively in Al Ain’s favour.
And in the dying moments, the decisive blow arrived. Matías Palacios whipped in a teasing delivery, and El Houssien Rahimi climbed highest above the Bani Yas defence to thunder a header beyond the goalkeeper, snatching all three points in dramatic fashion.
The result lifts Al Ain to the top of the table on 41 points, while Bani Yas remain bottom of the table with 11.
Send feedback
