Al Nasr down Al Dhafra as Dibba salvage draw against Al Wahda

Al Nasr secured a confident victory on Friday, defeating Al Dhafra 2–0 in Matchweek 8 of the Adnoc Pro League after a dominant first-half display at Al Maktoum Stadium.

The hosts wasted no time in taking control, scoring twice within the opening 21 minutes and maintaining their grip on the match throughout.

Al Nasr opened the scoring after just four minutes when Rostand Djooh inadvertently turned Mehdi Ghayedi’s teasing cross into his own net.

The delivery from the left flank caused confusion inside the penalty area, leaving the defender powerless as the ball deflected beyond his goalkeeper.

The early blow unsettled Al Dhafra, who struggled to regain composure as Al Nasr continued to press.

Their advantage was soon doubled in the 21st minute after the referee awarded a penalty.

Luka Milivojevic stepped up with authority, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 2–0.

Al Dhafra’s night deteriorated further when Mouhcine Rabja was shown a red card just before the interval, leaving the visitors with a mountain to climb.

Their task grew even more difficult in the 68th minute as Leonard Offoe Amesimeku was also dismissed, reducing the team to nine men.

Al Nasr thought they had added a third in the 51st minute when Zayed Sultan found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Moments later, Ramon Mierez came close to extending the lead, striking the post after breaking through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Despite their opportunities, Al Nasr settled for the two-goal advantage, comfortably managing the remainder of the contest against the depleted visitors.

The result lifts Al Nasr to eighth place on 11 points, while Al Dhafra remain sixth with 12 points.

Late Ali penalty denies Al Wahda victory in dramatic finish: Dibba snatched a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser as Mohaned Ali’s late penalty earned his side a crucial point against Al Wahda. Al Wahda dominated large stretches of the match and looked set to secure all three points after breaking the deadlock in the second half. However, Dibba continued to push until the final whistle, eventually finding their reward deep into added time.

The game’s first major opportunity came in the 12th minute when Adakole Benedict capitalized on a defensive slip from Favour Ogbu, driving into the box before sending his effort narrowly wide.

Al Wahda immediately responded, with Omar Khribin testing goalkeeper Mohamed Salem from distance five minutes later. Salem remained exceptional throughout the first half, producing a brilliant double save in the 20th minute, first parrying Abdulla Hamad’s strike, then reacting quickly to deny Lucas Pimenta’s follow-up.

Al Wahda thought they had taken the lead on the half-hour mark through Facundo Daniel, but the goal was overturned after VAR detected a handball in the build-up.

The visitors continued to apply pressure, and Darko Lazovic came close with a curling effort that dipped just over the crossbar in the 34th minute.

The breakthrough finally came in the 74th minute when Omar Khribin’s driven strike took a slight deflection off Iago Santos and found the bottom corner, giving Al Wahda a deserved 1–0 advantage.

But Dibba refused to fade. Their persistence paid off in stoppage time when they won a penalty, and Mohaned Ali stepped up with composure, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to secure a dramatic late equaliser.

The result leaves Al Wahda second in the table with 18 points, while Dibba move to 13th with three points.

Earlier, Shabab Al Ahli earned a valuable 1–0 win over Khorfakkan with the decisive moment arriving late at Saqr Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi Stadium on Thursday.

The breakthrough came in the 87th minute when Bala unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area, sealing three important points for the visitors. With this victory.

Shabab Al Ahli move to 17 points in third place—level with Al Wahda but ahead on goal difference—while Khorfakkan remain on 8 points in tenth.