Al Jazira came from behind to claim an impressive 3-1 victory over Shabab Al Ahli at Rashid Stadium, maintaining their perfect start to the ADNOC Pro League season and moving to the top of the table.
The result ended Shabab Al Ahli's own perfect start to the campaign, with the Dubai side suffering their first defeat after winning each of their opening three matches.
Shabab Al Ahli could hardly have asked for a better start as Guilherme Da Silva broke the deadlock inside two minutes. Picking up possession outside the penalty area, he weaved his way past two defenders before firing a clinical finish into the back of the net.
Despite the early setback, Al Jazira gradually worked their way back into the contest and found the equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Malcom Oliveira collected the ball on the right flank before cutting inside and curling an effort from the right edge of the penalty area that took a slight deflection off the head of defender Igor Gomes Silva, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and finding the back of the net.
The momentum remained with the Pride of Abu Dhabi after the restart, and they completed the turnaround in the 55th minute. Marcus Vinicius reacted quickest inside the area to poke home a rebound and put Al Jazira 2-1 ahead.
Al Jazira then put the contest beyond Shabab Al Ahli with a superbly crafted third goal. Mendes beat his marker before laying the ball back to Kristjan Asllani outside the area, who unleashed a thunderous strike into the top corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Having fallen behind inside two minutes, Al Jazira's response underlined their resilience as they turned the match around with three unanswered goals to secure a fourth consecutive victory.
The result sends Al Jazira to the top of the ADNOC Pro League table with a perfect 12 points, ahead of Al Ain on goal difference, while Shabab Al Ahli sit third with nine points after suffering their first defeat of the season.
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