Al Ain racked up another win on their relentless march towards the ADNOC Pro League title, maintaining their six-point lead at the top of the table, while Al Wahda kept the pressure on the league leaders after snatching a 1-0 home win over Khorfakkan in matchweek 16.
Meanwhile, Shabab Al Ahli returned to winning ways after defeating Al Orooba 3-1 on a weekend that saw the highest number of goals from the penalty spot this season with five goals, four of which were scored during Ajman vs Ittihad Kalba match.
Al Ain - Bani Yas
ADNOC Pro League leaders Al Ain extended their winning streak and kept a clean sheet for the second consecutive match.
Despite Al Ain’s superiority in terms of possession in the first half, the two teams were level in terms of chances, firing three shots on target each, but failing to beat the goalkeepers.
The hosts took their dominance to the next level in the second half, and were able to translate it into two goals, while the visitors failed to produce a single effort on target during the second 45 minutes.
Argentinian playmaker Cristian Guanca was his side's most productive player, scoring a goal and creating six chances.
Meanwhile his teammate Laba Kodjo left his scoring boots at home, despite producing ten shots, four of which were on target.
Al Wahda - Khorfakkan
Omar Khrbin's goal was the difference for Al Wahda in a 1-0 home win over Khorfakkan to keep the pressure on rivals Al Ain at the top of the table.
Just as in the previous game, Al Wahda and Khorfakkan produced three shots on target each in the first half, but unlike in Al Ain, the opening 45 minutes at Al Nahyan saw the only goal of the game through Kharbin.
Each team unleashed just a shot on target in an uneventful second half, with Khorfakkan dominating the game in the last 15 minutes but failing to find an equaliser.
Al Wasl - Sharjah
Al Wasl and Sharjah played out a goalless draw for the first time in the history of their encounters in the ADNOC Pro League, at Zabeel Stadium on Friday.
The game was cagey from the start, as both teams failed to produce a single effort on target during the 90 minutes.
The visitors enjoyed 61% of the possession, compared to 39% for the hosts, while Al Wasl won 57 duels out of 100.
Shabab Al Ahli - Al Orooba
Shabab Al Ahli came from a goal down to defeat Al Orooba 3-1 at Rashid Stadium on Saturday.
The visitors dominated the first 15 minutes of the game and took the lead in the 13th minute, while the hosts displayed real dominance throughout the rest of the game.
Shabab Al Ahli had 66% of possession by the final whistle, producing six shots on target out of 16, and half of them were converted into Hamdan Al Hosani's net.
Shabab Al Ahli duo Federico Cartabia and Mehdi Ghayedi created three goal-scoring chances each. Both players also scored a goal and made an assist.
Al Dhafra - Emirates
Relegation battlers Al Dhafra and Emirates played out a goalless draw at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday.
The home side were the more dominant of the two, producing 21 shots, eight of which were on target, compared to a single shot on target to the visitors out of five.
Al Dhafra's Joao Marcos created four goal-scoring chances, but none of them were converted by his teammates.
Al Nasr - Al Jazira
Al Nasr picked up their first win in more than 100 days, securing a 2-0 home victory against Al Jazira.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi held 67% of possession, but it was not enough for them to find goals.
The hosts’ two goals came from nine shots, while the visitors created 15 goal-scoring chances and attempted 17 shots but lacked the accuracy to beat goalkeeper Ahmed Shambih.
Ajman - Ittihad Kalba
Ajman left it late to settle a seven-goal thriller, defeating Ittihad Kalba 4-3 at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts scored four goals out of five efforts on target, while the visitors netted their three goals out of five shots on target.
Ittihad Kalba had the lion’s share possession with 57%, compared to 43% to Ajman.
The away side relied on crosses, swinging in 22, compared to five for Ajman.
On the other hand, Ajman's players successfully made 23 clearances, compared to only four for Ittihad Kalba's players.
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