Players of Shabab Al Ahli and Ajman in action during their UAE Pro League Cup quarter-final match.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The experienced Hamdan Al Kamali and Omar Abdul Rehman scored on either side of half-time to hand Shabab Al Ahli a 2-1 advantage against visiting Ajman in their first leg quarter-final of the UAE Pro League Cup on Friday.

Kamali was on target with his 34th minute penalty kick to hand the hosts the lead, while Omar, always a reassuring presence in the midfield, made it 2-0 in the 57th.minute from a narrow angle after being put through by Harib Abdullah Suhail.

Unnerved by the double blow, Ajman fought back and managed a crucial goal off a corner in the 65th minute when Abdullah Jassim Ali header found the far corner of skipper Majed Nasser’s goal.

Both sides then had a good look at opposing goals, but neither managed to score as the hosts settled for a crucial 2-1 win heading into the return leg of the quarter-finals on January 3.

Earlier, Uruguayan Michel Araujo scored a well-deserved hat-trick as Al Wasl fought their way to a 3-3 draw against Al Ain.

Just when it looked like Al Ain was poised for a 3-2 win, Araujo snatched on a ball laid at his feet by substitute Haboush Saleh and hammered in past Khalid Eisa on the home team goal in the third minute of extra time.

Earlier, Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba had continued proving his utility with a fine brace as Al Ain stayed on track for a win.

The 29-year-old striker from Togo scored his first from the penalty spot in the 19th minute to cancel out Araujo’s fifth minute opener for Al Wasl.

Laba, who has been with Al Ain since 2019, added a second goal in the 32nd minute when he thumped in a fine pull-back from Caio Canedo on the right flank.

Al Wasl kept their focus and fought back to draw level in the 43rd minute when Uruguayan midfielder Araujo slid in for his second on the night.

However, the home team once again took the lead when Canedo evaded his marker at the far end to poke in and make it 3-2 in favour of Al Ain deep into half-time injury period.

The two teams battled hard for a goal, and it was Araujo completing a fine hat-trick in the third minute of extra-time to leave it all when the two teams meet again in their second leg quarter-final on January 4.

Meanwhile, Al Nasr and Al Wahda played a goalless draw at Al Maktoum Stadium in a close game between two evenly matched opponents.

Al Wahda took the initiative and attacked the hosts where goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh denied them an opener on several occasions as neither team could find the back of the net in the first half.

Both sides attempted to take the lead throughout the second half with Ryan Mendes missing a real scoring chance in the 71st minute, one minute before he rescued his team from falling a goal behind during one of Al Wahda’s attempts.
The 83rd minute saw the referee show Al Nasr’s Abdelaziz Ali Al Kaabi a red card leaving his side with ten men for the remainder of the game.

Despite losing one of their men, Al Nasr kept trying to score with their star Sebastian Tagliabue squandering a chance in the additional time that could have secured his side an advantage before the fixture’s return leg scheduled for next month.