Al Bataeh came from a 0-3 down to stage a dramatic comeback as they held a 3-3 draw with Al Ain in matchweek two of the ADNOC Pro League at Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium on Friday.
The first half saw Al Ain completely dominate the game from the start, as they scored three goals in seven minutes, but Al Bataeh pulled one back in the added time.
The breakthrough was quickly found by Laba Kodjo in the 9th minute from a penalty spot as he stroked the ball into the far corner of the net past the outstretched hands of Al Bataeh's goalkeeper, Darwish Mohammad.
Things went from bad to worse for Al Bataeh as Mohamed Ahmed's own goal in the 12th minute doubled Al Ain's lead before Bandar Al Ahbabi fired a magnificent long-range strike that smashed the back of the net.
A neat finish from a tight angle from Paulo Henrique in the added time of the first half saw Al Bataeh pulling one back before heading to the dressing rooms for a break.
The hosts started the second half as a different team, heaping the pressure on Al Ain's defense until scoring the second goal two minutes before the hour-mark. Alvaro De Oliveira successfully converted the spot-kick to make it 3-2.
They kept the pressure on Al Ain's defense and achieved what they wanted as Anatole Bertrand poked in the rebound in the dying moments to bring the level for Al Bataeh and secure a point for the hosts.
The result left Al Ain fourth with 4 points, while Al Bataeh are 10th with just a point.
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