Al Ain began their ADNOC Pro League title defence with a thrilling 4-2 comeback win over hosts Bani Yas at Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Stadium on Sunday, bringing the opening matchweek of the 2026-27 season to a close.
Youssoufou Niakate scored twice for Bani Yas in the 15th and 42nd minutes, before Al Ain turned the match around through Soufian Rahimi in the 47th minute, El Houssien Rahimi in the 81st and 97th minutes, and Alejandro Romero in the 100th minute.
The victory gave defending champions Al Ain their first three points of the new season, while Bani Yas ended the opening round without a point.
The two sides shared the initiative early on, but Bani Yas took the lead in the 15th minute when Niakate capitalised on a mistake by Al Ain defender Yahia Benkhaleq.
Al Ain thought they had equalised in the 32nd minute through Georgios Giakomakis, but the goal was disallowed for a foul by Abdulkarim Trawri in the build-up.
Niakate struck again in the 42nd minute to complete his brace and double Bani Yas’ advantage, putting the hosts 2-0 ahead.
Al Ain responded in first-half stoppage time, with Soufian Rahimi converting a penalty in the 47th minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1 heading into the break.
The defending champions stepped up their attacking pressure in the second half as they pushed for an equaliser. El Houssien Rahimi found the net with a header in the 62nd minute, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Bani Yas player Suhail Al Noobi.
Al Ain eventually drew level in the 81st minute when El Houssien Rahimi converted a fine cross to make it 2-2.
The visitors continued to push forward and completed the comeback deep into stoppage time. El Houssien Rahimi scored his second of the match in the 97th minute to put Al Ain ahead for the first time, before Alejandro Romero added a fourth in the 100th minute to seal a dramatic 4-2 victory.
Al Ain’s dominance was reflected in the statistics, with the champions recording 71.4% possession compared to Bani Yas’ 28.6%, while their passing accuracy reached 86.39% compared to 66.49% for the hosts.
Niakate has now scored in the opening round in three of his four ADNOC Pro League seasons with Bani Yas, with last season the only exception. His two goals against Al Ain also marked the sixth brace of his ADNOC Pro League career with Bani Yas.
It was the fourth time Bani Yas have scored at least twice in the first half against Al Ain in the Pro League, following the previous occasions in 2011, 2020 and 2022.
Soufian Rahimi became the highest-scoring Moroccan in Pro League history, taking his tally to 46 goals and surpassing compatriot Walid Azaro, who scored 45.
El Houssien Rahimi has now scored eight ADNOC Pro League goals, five of them as a substitute, while his four goals against Bani Yas represent his highest tally against any opponent in the competition.
The opening round of the 2026-27 season produced 33 goals, matching the 2018-19 campaign as the highest-scoring opening round in Pro League history.
Al Ain also became the first team in Pro League history to record 11 consecutive victories.
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