UAE Pro League: Pirlo's rude awakening, Sharjah shine and Al Ain's dramatic comeback
UAE champions Al Ain fought back from 2-0 down against Baniyas to win 4-2 and salvage their long unbeaten record on Sunday night. Al Ain went undefeated last season and have not tasted a Pro League loss since a 3-2 reverse at Dibba in March 2025. That run looked as good as over when Mali international Youssoufou Niakate struck twice in the first half to put Baniyas in control. Al Ain's new $6…
The UAE Pro League witnessed a dramatic turn of events as Al Ain fought back from a 2-0 deficit against Baniyas to secure a 4-2 victory, salvaging their undefeated streak. The defending champions, led by Italian legend Andrea Pirlo, were trailing before Soufiane Rahimi and his brother Houssine scored in the closing moments, along with a fourth goal from Giorgos Giakoumakis, who secured the win after an earlier equalizing goal was disallowed by VAR.
In other matches, Al Jazira's Cosmin Olaroiu made a strong debut with a 2-0 win over Hatta, marking a positive start to the league season for the Abu Dhabi side. Meanwhile, Al Wasl suffered a massive 5-1 defeat at the hands of traditional club Al Wasl, highlighting the challenge that awaits Pirlo's Dubai United team. Sharjah and Shabab Al Ahli also impressed with their performances, with Sharjah winning 3-1 away at Al Dhafra and Shabab Al Ahli defeating Khorfakkan 5-1 with five goals scored in the second half.
Al Wahda, on the other hand, suffered a 3-2 loss to Ajman, indicating concerns for the team's performance at the start of the season.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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