Al Ain secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Hatta in the opening match of matchweek 15 of the ADNOC Pro League, boosting their points tally to 31 and solidifying their second-place position. Meanwhile, Hatta's points remain stagnant at 5.
The scoring commenced in the 22nd minute with a formidable strike from outside the penalty area by Al Ain's Omer Atzili, marking the team's fifth goal from outside the box this season.
Sultan Alshamsi doubled Al Ain's lead with a precise header in the 44th minute, marking his return to scoring in the ADNOC Pro League after a 1080-day hiatus since his last goal with Baniyas against Al Ain.
Moments before the halftime whistle, Al Shamsi found the net again, capitalizing on a rebound from goalkeeper Salem Khairy to score his and Al Ain's third goal in the added time of the first half, recording his second brace in the league since January 2020.
Al Ain widened the gap further when Alejandro Romero converted a close-range shot into the fourth goal in the 47th minute, following an assist from his teammate Erik.
Hatta's comeback efforts began with Gabriel De Souza capitalizing on a mistake by Al Ain's goalkeeper Khalid Eisa in the 49th minute.
Al Ain's substitute Yahia Nader extended their lead with a fifth goal in the 62nd minute. However, Charles Egbuchulam managed to narrow the gap for Hatta, scoring in the 87th minute and again in the 91st minute, completing a quick counter-attack.
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