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Ajman 3-4 Bani Yas: Sky Blues on top in goal fest

There were goals galore as Bani Yas came out on top in a 4-3 thriller with Ajman at the Rashid bin Saeed Stadium in Round One of the Arabian Gulf League. Bani Yas, who at one point enjoyed a 4-1 lead, weathered a spirited fight-back from the home side but held on to take all three points.

It took only five minutes for Bani Yas to take the lead as debutant Luis Farina marked his first Arabian Gulf League appearance with a goal. The 22-year-old Argentinian attacker was assisted by diminutive Emirati midfielder Haboush Saleh as he gave Bani Yas an early 1-0 advantage. In the 23rd minute, fellow debutant Carlos Munoz doubled the visitors’ lead to make it 2-0.

Two minutes after the restart Bani Yas had the ball in the back of the net again, but this time Nawaf Mubarak’s effort was ruled out. In a pacey game, Ajman pulled a goal back in the 50th minute through captain Boris Kabi but the lifeline for the home side didn’t last long as Bani Yas pulled away again just a minute after conceding. This time it was Yousef Jaber to get on the end of a Nawaf Mubarak cross and make it 3-1 in the 51st minute, and in a goal-frenzied few minutes Bani Yas notched their fourth of the match just three minutes later. A combination of the new South American signings facilitated the 4-1 scoreline, with Luis Farina turning provider as Carlos Munoz scored his second of the game. But Ajman were not to be ruled out at 4-1 down, staging a fight-back through Abdualla Ahmed’s 67th minute goal from a Jasem Ali assist, and in the 72nd minute Ahmed Al Yassi’s assist allowed debutant Simon Feindouno to score and reduce the deficit to just one goal at 4-3. With Bani Yas’ previously comfortable lead now slender, the visitors endured some nervy moments but held out for the final 20 minutes of the game to seal a hard-fought 4-3 away win.