Al Ain, Sharjah, and Shabab Al Ahli each made it three wins out of three to maintain their perfect starts to the ADNOC Pro League season.
On the other hand, matchweek 2 was dull in terms of goalscoring action, as it saw 13 goals only - the lowest-scoring matchweek since last season's matchweek 13 (13 goals).
Ittihad Kalba - Al Jazira
This marked the first draw of the season, as very few chances were created in the first half, while goalkeepers and defense impressed in the second.
The defending champions' performance was below expectations, especially in the opening half. Al Jazira players touched the ball in Ittihad Kalba's box 5 times only in the first half, compared to 9 times by Ittihad Kalba player's in Al Jazira's box.
Jamal Abdulla made 5 saves, one more than Ali Khaseif. Ahmed Jshak won more duels than any other player on the pitch (12 out of 15), while Mohammed Sabeel's tackles helped Ittihad Kalba keep a clean sheet for the first time against Al Jazira in a league game.
Shabab Al Ahli - Ajman
Shabab Al Ahli collected their second straight league win with the same result (1-0), with the goal also coming from outside the box. Shabab Al Ahli posed more threat on Ajman's goal and had 4 shots on target. Meanwhile, the guests' only shot came in the 50th minute, courtesy of Bubacarr Trawally.
Shabab Al Ahli's Abdulla Al Naqbi stood out in defense, while the team relied on Igor Jesus, Carlos Eduardo, Mohammed Jumaa, and Ahmad Noorollah in the front line.
Al Ain - Emirates
Al Ain grabbed their second win of the season with a 2-0 victory at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Yassine Meriah became the first Tunisian to score for Al Ain in the UAE Pro League, while Kodjo Laba now have three goals in the first two games.
Al Ain were more dangerous with 12 shots on goal and a 62% possession. Ali Saqr heroics helped keep the result at 2-0 as he made 10 saves to top the goalkeepers' standings with the most saves for the second week in a row (6 saves in matchweek 1).
Al Wasl - Khorfakkan
Al Wasl and Khorfakkan settled for a draw to maintain their equal head-to-head record in the league (2 wins for each team and 1 draw).
Al Wasl couldn't translate their possession into goals. Despite taking the lead after 115 seconds and being awarded a penalty, they were held to a draw after Caíque Jesus netted the equalizer. Khorfakkan defenders Masoud Sulaiman and Abdalla Al Refaey, as well as keeper Ahmed Mahmoud Dida denied Al Wasl their second win.
Fabio Lima is yet to score against Khorfakkan in the league. Despite three games and 15 shots (6 on target), Khorfakkan remain the only team that Lima failed to score against.
Al Dhafra - Sharjah
In a similar manner to what happened in the opening match of the season, Sharjah claimed another 1-0 win in matchweek 2. After scoring the winner in matchweek 1, Bernard turned to provider as he assisted Ben Malango's goal against Al Dhafra.
Sharjah had a total of 15 shots, of which six were on target, while Al Dhafra relied on counter-attacks.
Al Nasr - Al Orooba
After succumbing to a 3-0 defeat against Ajman in the opening matchweek, Al Nasr bounced back to a 5-0 win over Al Orooba.
Al Nasr had the upper hand throughout the first half which saw them score three goals. They added two goals in the dying minutes of the match. Al Nasr had 7 shots on target and Sebastián Tagliabué netted a brace. Meanwhile, Ryan Mendes scored a goal and assisted two out of 4 chances and 5 successful dribbles.
Al Wahda - Bani Yas
Both sides couldn't find the breakthrough and created very few chances. Former Bani Yas player Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Al Wahda and Fares Jumaa netted a late own-goal as both sides shared the spoils at Al Nahyan Stadium.
This marked the first league draw between both sides at Al Nahyan Stadium. Joao Pedro's goal put him level with Kodjo Laba on 3 goals at the top of the goalscoring charts.
Send feedback
