Soufian Rahimi nodded in the lone goal of the match as Al Ain helped themselves to full points with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Al Dhafra in early Round Nine action of the ADNOC Pro League, on Tuesday.
Changing ends without breaking the deadlock, it was Rahimi darting in past his marker to nod in a perfect cross in the 68th minute to deny Al Dhafra at least a draw at home.
Till that goal, Al Dhafra had shown a lot of organization. In fact, it was Al Dhafra captain Makhete Diop who should have been rewarded with a goal or two, but for a staunch Al Ain defence who kept the powerfully-built Senegalese at bay.
Al Ain had a golden opportunity to put the issue to bed when they were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute, but goalkeeper Abdullah Sultan Al Nasri dived to his left and save off Caio Canedo.
The win further consolidated Al Ain’s position at the summit with 21 points, while Al Dhafra continued with their dismal brush with bad luck as they continued in eleventh spot with seven points.
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