Bani Yas and Al Bataeh played out a 3-3 draw in a thrilling encounter at Bani Yas Stadium on Tuesday evening for matchweek 23 of the ADNOC Pro League. This result has Bani Yas sitting at 23 points in tenth place, while Al Bataeh hold onto ninth with 27 points.
The game started cautiously, with Al Bataeh using the opening minutes to strategically find ways to the goal. In contrast, Bani Yas did not capitalize on the early game, quickly finding themselves a goal down after Anatole Bertrand scored in the 15th minute, his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Paulo Henrique.
Bani Yas responded by stepping up their attack, although it was Al Bataeh who found the net next. A penalty awarded in the 35th minute — confirmed by VAR for a foul on Sekou Baba by Bani Yas’s Suhail Alnoobi— was coolly converted by Paulo Henrique, doubling Al Bataeh’s lead.
The second half saw Bani Yas intensifying their efforts, which paid off when Tauljan Sulemjmanov headed in a corner from Gastón Suarez in the 57th minute. The home team’s coach then made strategic substitutions, bringing on Abdullah Al Baloushi and Ahmed Abunamous to boost the offensive play, which led to Youssoufou Niakate equalizing in the 62nd minute with his tenth league goal.
As both teams battled for supremacy in the final minutes, the game continued to swing. Niakate thought he had won it for Bani Yas with his second goal of the night in the 93rd minute, but Al Bataeh had the last word. Mohamed Rashid scored in the 95th minute, securing a point for his team with a last-gasp equalizer.