Al Ain settled a six-goal thriller at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium after sealing a 5-1 home win over Ajman in matchweek 14 of the ADNOC Pro League on Friday.
The hosts wasted no time and took an early lead less than four minutes into the game when Laba Kodjo capitalized on a nice pass from Soufian Rahimi and brilliantly cut inside the box and rounded the defender before unleashing a powerful shot into the top corner of the net.
In the 31st minute, Andrii Yarmolenko cemented his side's lead when Laba Kodjo's first attempt was denied by Ajman's goalkeeper Ali Al Hosani as the Ukrainian winger poked the rebound into the back of the net.
Six minutes later, Yarmolenko grabbed his brace and the third goal for the hosts after he met a superb backheel pass from Laba Kodjo inside the box and slotted the ball into the back of the net with a smart finish.
Prestige Mboungou pulled one back and reduced the deficit for Ajman after one-two passes with M. Ben Alarbi before drilling the goal into the far bottom corner of the net, to make it 1-3.
The momentum was with Al Ain, and it was no surprise when they extended their lead in the 70th minute when Soufian Rahimi sent an excellent cross to Bandar Al Ahbabi inside the box, as the latter used his first touch to smack a left-footed shot toward the near post of the goal.
Just seven minutes before the final whistle, Laba Kodjo also grabbed his brace and the fifth goal of the night when he was put through on goal before lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper.
The result means Al Ain are now fourth with 25 points, while Ajman remain seventh with 23 points.
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